Back in Business
by Speculatrix
Summary: It's been 6 years since Bella left Pontypandy for Italy and stayed. But she hasn't forgotten her little cafe. So she has sent her niece to claim her legacy. Everyone knows that it'd take big shoes to fill the void that Bella left. But these big shoes have a surprising secret...
1. Chapter 1

**Back in Business****  
**

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Note &amp; Disclaimer: **I want to kind of do my best to bridge gaps between the old and new series. Yes, people don't like the CGI series, I know. But I do. And that being said, I like the CGI series and I LOVE the old series. Fireman Sam and all related characters belong to the people who created them. And my OC belongs to me.

* * *

Ella cringed as she made her way upstairs. It was acting up again. Luckily, she had remembered what she needed to do, so the sting was easy to ignore. She finally reached the room and knocked.

"Come een," said an older woman's voice.

Ella entered the bedroom. The first thing she noticed was the ginger cat sitting on the lap of a woman in a red dress, who sat in a rocking chair. Her black hair was slightly tinged with white.

"_Ciao_, Rosa," Ella said softly, stooping and petting the cat. Rosa half-opened her feline eyes and gazed up lazily. She was no longer the feisty kitty that got stuck in trees all the time. She was now a mature lap-warmer that was more than content to live out life peacefully in retirement. Ella turned to face the older woman, who was now watching her affectionately.

"You called, Auntie?" Ella asked.

"_Si, cara mia_," said her aunt, "I just-a wanted to talk-a to you. About-a your future."

"Oh, Auntie, not this again!" Ella groaned and stood straight, "Honestly, I'm happy just being here in Roma with you and Rosa. I told you I could never go back _there_ again!"

"I know, _bambina_, I know. But ev-a-ry time I try to tell-a you to go out and have-a the fun, you won't-a listen!"

"I already have fun running _nonna's_ _trattoria_ with you. Besides, what's done is done and, frankly, I don't care!"

"But you need-a to go out and-a be independent again, Ella! I know-a you haven't got over it!"

"Auntie, I got over it a long time ago!" Ella was starting to get exasperated. "And why do you have to bring it up?! Next time, I swear..."

"You must-a go back to Wales!" The aunt shouted. "NO! I will NOT!" Ella shouted back.

"Then go to Pontypandy!" The aunt shouted again and tried to get out of her chair, only to grimace as her back started to hurt. Rosa jumped off in alarm and meowed anxiously.

Ella's eyes widened in surprise as she quickly helped her aunt back into the chair and patted her back. Auntie Bella Lasagna had never mentioned anything about her time in Pontypandy, until now.

"Auntie Bella..." she started calmly, "Is this what you've been trying to tell me the whole time?"

"Ah! Finally, you-a listen to me!" Bella was about done shouting herself hoarse. Bella may have been as old as she always was, but her dramatic outbursts were always a staple of her personality. "Now, sit-a down!"

Ella obeyed. Things were about to get interesting. Bella took a deep breath, then spoke, nostalgia making its way into her voice.

"Wales, she is-a _bellisima _and I loved-a living there. Rosa and-a me, we had-a good times there. Didn't we, Rosa?"

Rosa purred happily, sitting next to Ella, who absentmindedly stroked her.

"We lived-a in a beautiful town called-a Pontypandy. Lots of-a mountains, scenery and the sea. _Bellisima!"_

"Go on..." Ella encouraged.

"I lived around-a my friends, the best-a friends in the whole-a world! My cafe was-a always full of-a visitors." Bella paused to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand, remembering all the friends she and Rosa had left behind. "But Pontypandy, she was-a also the most exciting-a town in the world!"

"Really?!" Ella replied. How could a seemingly idyllic town be so exciting, she thought.

"They put out-a fires ev-a-ry day!"

"F-fires? Really?" Ella said incredulously. A quaint little town that sees its fair share of fires. Now where has she heard that before?

"_Si, bambina_! Even I had-a the fire in-a my little cafe sometimes! And Fireman Sam, he always-a help me!"

"Who's Fireman Sam, Auntie Bella?" Ella asked, mentally adding, 'And why do you speak as though he's the only firefighter in Pontypandy?'

"Fireman Sam, he's-a our hero next door! And-a Elvis and-a Penny and-a Station Officer Steele! I miss-a them so much! *sniff* And-a Trevori and Mrs Price and the Jones-a family! The Floods too-a! I even miss-a Naughty Norman Price! Never a, how to say-a, unpolished moment with-a him and his-a tricks! *sniff-sniff*"

"I believe you meant to say a _dull_ moment, Auntiekins," Ella got up and handed Bella a box of tissues. She suddenly felt a rush of affection for the whacky drama queen of an old lady she had been living with in Rome for the past six years, since she left Wales. In fact, if she had never got that letter from her parents on that fateful day six years ago, she wouldn't have known that she even had an aunt in the first place.

"Ah, _si_, well anyway..." Bella dabbed her eyes and composed herself. "_Bambina_, I know-a you don't want-a to go back home again..."

"Do I know it!" Ella replied. Her aunt was right, she hadn't got over it. She sighed, then remembered, "Auntie, you said something about going to Pontypandy?"

"I did, _cara mia_. Listen. When I left-a Pontypandy to care for your _nonna_, my and your mamma's late mamma, I left-a my little cafe all shut up and closed. For a long time, I have-a been using my money to keep it all-a safe for the right time."

"What time?" Ella asked, then realized, "Oh, Auntie, you couldn't!"

"I am and I will-a!" Bella replied. "I cannot-a stand thinking of-a that poor little cafe standing so lonely in-a Pontypandy anymore-a! Someone must-a take the charge of it and that must-a be you! Your ex-a-perience working in the _trattoria_ should-a be enough!"

"But Auntie, it's too soon!" Ella exclaimed. "Even if it means going back to Wales, then how could I just take off and leave you all alone here? And why don't you just come back to Pontypandy and reclaim the cafe yourself?"

Bella smiled, "A long-a time ago, I would have. But ever since-a your _nonna_ died, I have-a made up-a my mind to stay in-a Italia and look after the _trattoria_. So I stay, you go. It will-a be _magnifico_, I promise."

"No," Ella replied, trying to get up, "I can't. I don't want to. I mean...after all that happened in Tonypridd, I finally found out that I had a wonderful aunt I never knew about...And I've been having so much fun here. So much of the pain ha-oof!" She winced as she felt the med-controlled sting while getting to her feet.

"_Bambina_, are you all right?" Bella tried to rise from her chair as well.

"No, no, you stay where you are, I'm fine," Ella straightened up.

"Please, _cara_, listen to Auntie Bella," Bella sat back down and resumed talking, "I know that I want-a to stay in Italia with-a Rosa and the _trattoria_. You are-a my favourite niece-a, so I want-a you and only you to inherit-a my beautiful Ridoli's Bella Cafe in Pontypandy. You will-a know what to cook-a when you start-a running it. And your cooking is-a _mwah_! _Molto bene_! And-A Roma is-a becoming too noisy for a lonely young lady like-a you, you know."

Ella snorted, "I'm not lonely! I have friends in Tonypridd and in Roma too!"

"Well, where are they now?"

"..."

"See! You have-a so much of-a the world to catch up on!"

"...Oh, Auntie, I don't know..."

"You think about it, Ella, _passerotta mia,_ take-a your time."

"I'll think about it. I better whip up some fresh _sfogliatelle_ pastries while I'm at it then," Ella nodded and left, gritting her teeth as she felt another dull wave of pain.

Bella sighed and looked out the window at the splendid city of Rome. "My beautiful niece-a, she is such a_ brava ragazza_, but sometime she need push in-a right place-a. Eh, Rosa?"

Rosa meowed back in agreement.

"And one more thing," Ella suddenly said, opening the door slightly and peeking in.

"_Si_?"

"I'm your ONLY niece, Auntiekins!" She laughed and shut the door as she left Bella, who laughed as well.

Ella was quite worried, when she reached the _trattoria_ floor though. "I still think it's too soon. What do you think, Pavarotti?" She asked her aunt's pet goldfish (Somehow, Bella had managed to get the fish to Italy as well). "Should I take over my aunt's old stomping ground?"

Pavarotti just let off bubbles.

* * *

Four weeks later, all the way in Wales, Chief Fire Officer Boyce from Newtown had come down to Pontypandy to help Station Officer Steele supervise a new training exercise. He was currently standing by the window of the break room, regaling anyone who would listen with yet another tale of his past firefighting days.

"...And that's how I rescued those children and a couple of chickens from that barn fire!"

"Ooh, sir, that was very brave!" Fireman Elvis Cridlington exclaimed with his usual childlike delight.

"Yes, yes, I-I'm sure it was," Station Officer Steele chimed in. Then Firefighter Penny Morris arrived with a wrench.

"Hello everyone, has Sam returned from Newtown with Jupiter yet? I told him I have to borrow her to check her engine."

"No Penny, we di...Oh, that must be him now," Elvis said, as he spotted Jupiter getting parked in the garage. Soon, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Fireman Sam Jones came in. He threw Jupiter's keys at Penny, who caught them with one hand. "Hello Penny, she's all yours now. Sorry I'm late."

"What took you?" Penny asked. "Ooh, did you have to help Trevor start his bus up again?" Elvis asked.

"Not really, though that bus does need to be looked at," Sam replied thoughtfully, "On the way back to Pontypandy, I saw a young lady pushing along a bicycle with a flat tyre, so I helped her fix it. Nothing an air pump and a patch can't do. She wasn't too keen on bicycle safety though."

"That was very generous of you, Fireman Sam," CFO Boyce declared, then sighed, "I remember an acquaintance of mine who used to ride a bicycle. She used to live in Tonypridd." That made Penny, who was just about to leave, turn around.

"Tonypridd, sir?" she asked, "I remember going there on holiday, when I used to live in Newtown. I had a friend there, who worked for the Fire Department. Firefighter Luca. Come to think of it, I haven't heard from her ever since I moved to Pontypandy."

"Why, that is exactly who I was referring to!" CFO Boyce exclaimed, "I knew her quite well myself! I'm proud to say that her brother Fireman Luca is an Auxiliary Fireman at Newtown!"

"Did you just say...Firefighter Luca?" Station Officer Steele had clearly heard that name somewhere as well. "From what I heard, she was almost as brilliant as our very own Firefighter Morris!"

"Well, I would like to meet her! She sounds nice," Sam smiled at the thought of a contemporary to work with someday.

"She was a credit to the force, she was," CFO Boyce remarked, "Tonypridd still misses her."

"Wow! I'd like to meet Firefighter Luca too!" Elvis grinned, "I'd make some of my special cupcakes for her!"

Sam, Steele and Penny exchanged anxious glances with each other. They knew exactly what Elvis' cooking tasted like. Not that they'd be rude enough to say it to his face, of course, he was the most sensitive firefighter of them all. Then Penny realized something.

"Tonypridd _still misses her_? What's that supposed to mean? Did she move out of town? Surely I would have known. Wouldn't I?"

"Ah, Firefighter Morris," CFO Boyce said solemnly, "Nobody knows! She just...disappeared!"

"Nobody...? Not even you, sir?" Elvis asked. This was intriguing. "Firefighters don't just disappear into thin air!"

"Quite right, Elvis," said an amazed Sam, "When did she disappear, sir?"

"Well, er..." CFO Boyce started to explain, "It was about five or six years ago, when the Tonypridd Grocery Store owner's house caught fire. A candle had not been put out properly and the flame caught on to the curtains and then the entire house. At first, it seemed as though everything was going like clockwork. The whole family had been evacuated. Almost."

"Do continue, sir," Station Officer Steele nodded and the other firefighters listened with bated breath. Elvis glanced worriedly at Penny, whose eyes were wide.

"Just as the situation looked to be under control, we heard a cry from upstairs. Firefighter Luca recognized the voice as that of the owner's little boy, Joey."

Penny went pale, "Oh no! I'd forgotten how much she loved children! Don't tell me she went inside!"

"I'm afraid she did," CFO Boyce remarked gravely, "You were right, Luca always had a soft spot for the little ones. She dropped her hose and ran inside straightaway! Without even wearing any breathing apparatus! And her brother went after her as well."

"Isn't her brother serving in Newtown's Auxiliary Fire Service?" Sam asked, "You said it yourself, sir."

"Yes, well, at that time, Fireman Luca was serving alongside his older sister. Anyway, after a few minutes, Fireman Luca came running out with little Joey in his arms, looking as though he had seen a ghost. He asked us all if his sister had returned. And no one had seen her at all!"

"Great balls of fire!" Elvis cried, putting his hands to his head in despair, "Maybe she died and _became_ a ghost! No no no!"

"Calm down, Elvis!" Penny exclaimed, grabbing his arm, though she too was fearing the worst, "Let Chief Fire Officer Boyce finish!"

"No, Elvis, she's not dead. I know it, because two weeks later, Station Officer Delaney from Tonypridd showed me a parcel containing Firefighter Luca's neatly folded uniforms and a resignation notice bearing her signature. Nobody saw her ever again. Her parents believe that she may have gone to live in her grandmother's house far away, but no one knows why. And then a week later, her brother resigned and moved to Newtown."

"Poor Luca," Penny said solemnly, "We used to surf together and write each other letters. Wherever she is, I do hope she's feeling better."

"Question is," Sam said to her, "Feeling better from what? It's all very mysterious."

"Indeed, Fireman Sam," Station Officer Steele replied, "Now, sir," he said to Boyce, "My men...and, er, woman...have a new training exercise to start. Please come this way..."

* * *

At just about the same time, in another section of Pontypandy...

"Wow!" Norman Price breathed as he stared across the road from his Mam's shop. It had been a long time since anyone had seen activity going on at that particular area of Pontypandy. And now there was a moving truck dumping two large brown suitcases and a few big boxes in front of the little red building that had once seen its fair share of action and now fallen silent to loneliness. "I wonder..."

His mother, Dilys, yelled from inside their shop, "What's all that noise, Norman? You better not be doing anything dangerous!" She joined her son outside the door, trying her best to look stern and failing. Then she noticed the pile of luggage across the road and the truck driving away.

Then she heard a familiar voice, "Say, isn't that Bella's cafe? Why all the boxes?" It was Trevor Evans, bus driver and former auxiliary fireman. Former, because he decided he wasn't competent enough to juggle two demanding jobs at once. Today he was just walking. "Oh, hello Trevor," Dilys smiled, blushing like a schoolgirl, "Norman and I were just observating the cafe and wondering who was moving in."

Trevor smiled as he looked across the road, "Hmmm, whoever they are, they must be here to stay. And they'll need a hand with all that."

Dilys had an idea which immediately perked her up, "Oh my, it must be Bella! She's decided to come back! It'll be a thrill to see her again!"

"Or maybe not, Mam. Look!"

Dilys Price was the second to hear the bicycle bell ringing. Mother, son and Trevor turned towards the sound, which, as it got closer, took the shape of a person riding a blue bicycle. The rider stopped near the postbox in front of the building and dismounted and stood the bike up with her back to her audience.

It was a young woman wearing a red cardigan, light blue camisole, blue trousers and brown shoes. Her long brown hair was tied into two simple braids that circled the crown of her head like a woven halo. She took off a big brown rucksack, which was slung around her body and dropped it at her feet, then looked up, arms akimbo, at the red building. She just stood there, staring for a while, before fumbling with something down her front and walking up to the cafe door.

"Well then, no point standing here," Trevor said, "I better introduce myself." "I'll come too, Trevor. Come along, Norman precious," said Dilys, suddenly feeling jealous of the much younger-looking woman. Norman just rolled his eyes and followed suit.

"Uh...hello there, miss," Trevor cleared his throat politely and greeted.

The newcomer turned around and Dilys saw that she was holding a rusty key, that was strung alongside a small USB and a very familiar-looking diamond ring, on a fine gold chain. The girl also had strands of hair delicately framing her face. She smiled rather nervously at the three people in front of her.

"H-hello..." She began, "How...How do you do?" She extended her hand. The little group looked shocked to see that this girl with an exotic light olive-skinned face had a good Welsh accent, though it was slightly tinged with an Italian tone. Trevor reached out to shake her hand, but Dilys beat him to it, "How do do, I'm Dilys Price and this is Norman, my little treasure," she put an arm around Norman who said, "Oh, Mam!" and ducked. She added, "We live above the Cut Price Store over there." She pointed.

"Ah, so this makes us neighbours then?" The newcomer smiled, "Nice to meet you. Come to think of it..."

"And I'm Trevor Evans," Trevor popped up and smiled as hugely as he could, "If you ever need a bus ride, I'm the man for the job!"

The young lady laughed, "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Ella." She looked at the cafe building again and sighed, "I believe my Auntie mentioned your names. She used to live here, you know."

"...You mean Bella?" Norman asked eagerly, "So Bella is your auntie?"

"Yes indeed," Ella replied, then smirked, "She did put in a special mention for _Naughty_ Norman Price..." She winked, making him huff, "I'm not naughty! I just love jokes, that's all!"

"I can't wait to see what you're up to then! Oh my giddy aunt..." she cast a mournful look at the pile of luggage nearby, "Looks like they arrived early. I'll have to bring those inside before someone trips and gets hurt."

"I'll help you!" Trevor said and picked up two. "Ooh, me too! Me too!" Norman said and tried to carry a nearby box, only for Ella to suddenly slap his hand away. "OW! What was that for?"

"Sorry, Norman, but I think I'll take this one myself. It has all my...personal belongings in it," Ella said and promptly lifted it up. The box shielded her grimacing face from view, when she felt the chronic pain overwhelm her again, making her buckle under the weight.

"I'll take your bag over there then," Dilys picked up the brown bag that Ella had discarded earlier.

"Thank you, everyone, really you're too kind," Ella smiled gratefully, "This won't take long, hopefully. Norman, if you look in the side pocket of that bag your Mam's carrying, you'll find a bicycle lock in there. You know how to use one don't you?"

Norman found it, "Yes, Bella...uh, I mean Ella. I'll get to it."

"All right then! Once all these boxes are safely upstairs, I'll whip up a batch of melt-in-your-mouth macaroons as a pre-housewarming treat!"

"Lovely, I'm sure," Dilys said enthusiastically, "I'll get some ingredients from my store just for you!"

"YAY!" Norman yelled, "I can't wait!"

Ella unlocked the cafe door with the key around her neck and the adults all set to work carting Ella's luggage through the cafe to the living quarters above it, while Norman somehow ended up locking his leg in with the bicycle and had to wait till Ella had to come out and release him with the key to the lock (Which she also wore on the same chain).

Afterwards, Ella made good on her promise to make macaroons by cleaning and testing out the cafe's kitchen area and they sat down to eat them. Trevor then noticed the diamond ring strung on the chain around Ella's neck.

"Why, Miss Ella, that's a fine large diamond I see there. It looks like the one I choked on a long time ago!" The ring was a gold one, with said large diamond flanked by two ornate little scrolls. Ella looked down and fingered it delicately, "Ah yes, Mr Evans, Auntie Bella inherited it as the eldest daughter in her family. She couldn't hand it to my mother, so she let me have it. I don't wear jewellery on my hands, so I'm wearing it on this...Wait, you _choked_ on it?!"

"Choked?! On a diamond ring?" Norman asked.

They both burst out laughing, making Trevor blush and Dilys glare. Ella recovered and continued, "Anyways, I believe Auntie kept in touch with you all? She never really had a chance to tell me about you all till many weeks ago."

"Really?" Dilys said, "Oh, but she must have been recovering from her loss, you know."

Ella sighed and smiled, "Ah yes, my late _nonna_, as I always called my Gran. She was a wonderful cook. I knew her quite well as a child, but I'm glad I got to know Auntie. She was the one who taught me how to run a cafe, you know!"

As they talked, the delicious smell of the macaroons wafted outside of the cafe and caught the attention of a blonde woman and her twin children. They stopped and sniffed. "Mmm! That smells mega-brill, Mam!" Sarah Jones exclaimed, "Can we have some?"

Her mother, Bronwen took a whiff, "Ah! That's a delicious idea Sarah! But where is it coming from?" "It's coming from over there, Mam!" said James, Sarah's brother. He added, "Gosh, it's Bella's cafe! And it's open! Maybe she finally came back! Let's go see!"

They rushed in and though there was no Bella, they were pleased to meet Ella, who was only too happy to let them eat as many macaroons as they wanted. Eventually, Bronwen, Dilys, Trevor and the three children learnt that Ella was born and raised in another part of South Wales to an Italian family, whose mother was Bella's long-lost sister and that Bella does not wish to come back to live in Pontypandy again after losing her mother, but will visit if she wants to. And Sarah and James learnt the true meaning of _Trattoria di Napoli _("It means 'Restaurant from Naples,' which is another lovely part of Italy," Ella explained, "And my _nonna_ came from Naples to live in Rome. I'm surprised that Auntie Bella forgot! Bless her, she's so absentminded!"). They also learnt that Ella had decided to inherit her auntie's cafe, so that she would be able to come home to Wales again and start a new life.

"But why was Bella separated from her sister?" asked Bronwen.

"Yes!" added Dilys, "And what part of Wales did you come from?"

"You look like a princess with that hairdo, Bella! Could you please teach me how to do one? " Sarah said.

"And why are you starting anew? From what?" Trevor remarked.

Ella laughed, "Oh my giddy aunt, so many questions! All in good time, everyone! And my name is Ella, not Bella. I didn't know it at the time, but my mamma did name me after Auntie, so I guess they never forgot each other after all this time apart...Oh dear, I better get more macaroons. They're on the house for today!"

She stood up, gasped and almost stumbled. "Are you all right, Miss?" Trevor asked, trying to get up, but Ella stopped him. "Oh no, it's nothing Mr Evans, I'll be back soon!" She strode quickly into the kitchen, gritting her teeth and thinking, 'Oh no, I have only one pill left!'

While Ella collected a tray bearing fresh macaroons, no one noticed Norman Price sneakily slip a whoopee cushion onto the chair Ella was sitting on. He giggled behind his hands as the young woman returned, but frowned when she suddenly slammed the tray down and raced upstairs with a distressed look on her face and one hand on her right leg. Five minutes later she rejoined them, looking slightly happier and walking calmly...and fell prey to Norman's prank. Norman couldn't help it, he started laughing. But just as Dilys was about to box his ears and tell him off, Ella fell off her chair laughing. Soon, the others joined in and the cafe was full of laughter.

**Well, I know there won't be many people reviewing this. I mean, who'd be nuts enough to write fanfiction about Fireman Sam of all people?! But Bella was always my favourite character and I feel like there's been a hole in my heart and the entire Fireman Sam series ever since they wrote her out. So I hope you enjoy this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Back in Business****  
**

**Chapter 2**

**Author's Note &amp; Disclaimer: **There's references to episodes old and new in this and the previous chapter! See if you can find them, that's if you can put up with my boring style of writing! Plus, I spelled Bronwen's name without the "wyn" at the end, because the "wyn" suffix is masculine in Welsh, therefore not used for girls in Wales, but only used in names for girls outside of Wales. Fireman Sam and all related characters belong to the people who created them. And my OC belongs to me.

* * *

In the space of three weeks, Ella's hardworking Italian ethic and shrewd organizational skills somehow got her through the entire paperwork process, which involved letters to and from her aunt's lawyer, confirming the cafe's new ownership, about accountancy and that food and health regulations were maintained to a high quality standard. She also bought herself a beige apron with felt chocolate bars stitched onto the pocket and had to clean up the entire cafe floor and build up a nice comfortable living space for herself above it. She absolutely refused help from the few people she had met when she'd arrived in the first place, opting to keep as low a profile as she could, in case they found out about her leg.

And then it was all done. Her new home looked nice, vintage and cosy. And the cafe itself was just beautiful. Ella had jumped for joy when she had seen the authentic, rustic pizza oven that her aunt had installed a long time ago (and almost burnt out, because of a bird's nest) and when she saw that the bound-up old recipe tomes that her aunt had left in a kitchen drawer were still perfect, she hugged them to her chest, feeling closer to Bella than ever in this strange little town.

Now, it was another beautiful day in Pontypandy. But this day was special, because Ridoli's Bella Cafe was officially open for business again. The gossip around Pontypandy had spread like the plague, thanks to Mrs Price, who ran off at the mouth a lot, which meant that Ella expected customers to pour in. But it was still very early in the morning, nobody was awake yet and Ella just stood there inside, surveying her new home, her new workplace, this little lost _bracchi_ that Bella had left alone for a long time. It was a real family treasure indeed. Ella breathed in deeply, taking in the sweet smell of the goodies she'd just prepared and laid out, as she remembered...

_-Flashback-_

_"So you will-a do it?" Bella asked her, "You will-a go to Pontypandy and take-a over my little cafe?"_

_Ella nodded with conviction, "_Si_, Auntie Bella. I decided that not only will I have fun running your _bracchi_, I will also be able to live in a town where no one knows who I am."_

_Bella looked sadly at her niece, "You still have-a not got over it then?"_

_"No, Auntie. It still hurts and this..." Ella pointed at her right leg "...is the reminder of that hurt. It will never go away."_

_"_Bambina_," Bella replied, "What matters is-a that my beautiful niece is-a still alive and with-a me. And I love-a you very much. I am-a very sure that Pontypandy will-a take the good care of you."_

_Ella blushed. "I'm not beautiful anymore, Auntie! Not since..."  
_

_"But do you love-a me?" Her aunt comically stared at her with puppy eyes. The younger woman rolled her eyes and laughed.  
_

_"Of-a course I love-a you!" Ella scoffed, nailing the stereotypical Italian accent dead on, "But that's not the point! It's just...I'm nervous. _But Pontypandy sounds like a lovely place. Even if everyone knows each other. Especially the *gulp* Fire Brigade."__

_"The Fire Service, she is-a full of _cara amici_. And if-a you ever get in trouble, call Fireman Sam."_

_"Er...you mean, call the Fire Service right?"_

_"_Si, si_, call Fireman Sam, call Fire Service, both same thing. Now give-a your Auntie Bella a big hug."_

_Ella laughed and they embraced. They broke apart and Ella ran off to pack._

_-End Flashback-_

"Where have you been all my life?" Ella thought aloud.

"Why, right here in Pontypandy, of course!" A male voice behind her laughed.

Ella jumped and turned around. She hadn't realized she had actually blurted her thoughts out loud. And how could she have not heard the bell atop the doorway, was she deaf? she thought. A vaguely familiar looking man was standing in her open doorway. He wore (Oh my giddy aunt, Ella thought) a firefighter's uniform. Of course she had seen him before. Him and his red fire engine.

"I know you!" she exclaimed, "You're that firefighter who helped me fix my punctured bicycle tyre a few weeks ago!"

"Why, you're right!" he replied, as surprised as she was, "I didn't think I'd meet you here in Pontypandy!" His friendly Welsh-accented voice warmed up Ella's insides for some reason and she smiled brightly. She cleared her throat and bowed with a mock-flourish of her hand, "Step into my parlour, good sir."

"Gladly." He entered the cafe and looked around admiringly, "Bronwen says that you've restored the place brilliantly and she's right. Why, it's almost as if Bella never left!" "I'm glad you think so, sir. And it's officially open for business too," Ella replied, examining the fireman from a reasonable distance with fascination. He seemed young enough, maybe a little older than Bronwen. He had auburn hair, wise sky blue eyes and a smile to go with the voice. She knew what he had sounded like, but regarding what he looked like, well, she was too worried about her precious bicycle at the time...

_-Flashback-_

_She was riding along on the way to a new life in Pontypandy, getting to know the Welsh scenery again and taking whiffs of fresh country air. Ella hoped her luggage was safe in the long journey from Italy to the UK. Then she realized that she was following a route to Tonypridd._

_'Oh my giddy aunt,' she swore under her breath and stopped. She pulled her map out of her bag and found a fine enough route. It was long, but it didn't matter as long as she stayed away from Tonypridd. Ella smiled, shoved the map into the bag and rode on. It was a bumpy, gravelly path, but it would have to do. Anything not to go near Tonypridd and open old wounds. She eventually arrived at Newtown and wondered if she could stop and visit her old friend, Mor...  
_

Pfffsssss...

_Suddenly the bike went all wobbly and Ella would've fallen if it weren't for her quick reflexes. She stepped off like lightning and the bike fell at her feet. An examination revealed that a sharp piece of broken bottle had caused a puncture in the back tyre. Air was hissing out fast.__  
_

_Drat! Her spare tyres and air pump were all in her luggage on the way to Wales! At least she had a patch in her pocket, but it was no use, the tyre became as _flat as the __crempog__ pancakes she loved making so much._ She'd have to make the journey on foot. No matter. If the pain in her leg bothered her again, at least she had her pills. Ella picked up the bike and carried on. She walked on until she could see Pontypandy from a hilltop road. It looked beautiful..._

_HONK-HONK!_

_Ella hopped onto the side with the bike. A fire engine was driving up the road. It looked really familiar. Ella felt a lump in her throat as she wondered if it was him..._

_"Hello, ma'am, how are you today?" No, it wasn't him. This was a different man's voice._

_He looked different too. Before Ella could answer, the driver noticed her bike, "I see you have a flat tyre. Don't you have any patches with you just in case?"_

_"Yes, I do," Ella replied, slightly embarrassed, "But I don't have an air pump."_

_She couldn't even look him in the eye. She was suddenly bashful. She fixed her eyes on the bike as the man sat there in deep thought. Then she heard the vehicle's door opening, some metallic sounds and then he was kneeling down and examining the bicycle tyre. He wore a firefighter's helmet and uniform._

_He got up and said, "I have an air pump. If you'd like me to..."_

_"No, no, please!" Ella pleaded and took a look at him. He was a tad taller than her with a stocky build. She added, "Please, I don't want to trouble you. Allow me." She almost snatched the air pump from him. But she gave him the patch and let him paste it over the puncture. Then she pumped away, until the wheel was as good as new.  
_

_As she detached the pump and gave it back to the firefighter, he a_s_ked concernedly, _"Why on earth are you cycling without a safety helmet? If you fall down, you could get seriously hurt. You also need to oil your chain, it's slightly rusty. And you wouldn't be able to ride if it got stuck between the spokes, you know. Also, you may need to see a mechanic, because you have only one brake on the handlebars." This offended her immediately.__

_"For your information, I have been riding bicycles without a helmet since I was five and the only injuries I ever had were to my arms and legs. Do you know why? Because we were children back then, not complete morons. And, as it happens, I AM as aware of safety as you are. Also, I can take care of my own bicycle, thank you very much." She hopped on her bike and rode away with a speed that surprised even herself. What had come over her? And where was the firefighter going? Was he going the same way she was?_

_-End Flashback-_

"Miss? Miss?" The firefighter was talking to her.

"Oh, sorry, I don't know what came over me." She smiled sheepishly, "So, you were saying...?"

"I was saying that I also wanted to apologize if I had made you angry that day. About all those safety tips..." the firefighter replied nicely. The man does have manners, Ella thought, feeling ashamed. "We take safety regulations to heart in Pontypandy and I didn't mean anything personal about how you take care of your bicycle. So I'm..."

Ella turned red, "Oh no, please. _I'm_ sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. You were right, I should have worn a helmet, but to be honest, I feel so free without one. Besides, if I had to wear a helmet, it would have to accommodate_ this_, haha." She gestured to her crown braid with an awkward laugh.

"It suits you well," he nodded appreciatively, "Looks like quite the effort too."

"Thank you! It takes me ten minutes to...Oh, where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself!" Ella came forward with an outstretched hand, "I'm Ella. I'm sure you knew my auntie well. Bella Lasagna?"

"Yes, I did. I'm Fireman Sam," said the firefighter, shaking her hand.

Ella gasped, "_You're_ the Fireman Sam that Auntie Bella goes on and on about? Well, it looks like I owe you a lot for helping her keep this place safe from fires. Although I just realized that the cafe needs a push button alarm installed in here. Preferably near the phone. And that smoke alarm," she looked at the ceiling, "...needs to be replaced. Wouldn't want it working with those dead batteries, would we? I'll buy one from Dilys when my shift's done for the day."

"And I'll help you install the push button alarm. Just let me know once you order it," he replied, amazed, but smiling at her apparent knowledge of fire safety.

"Thank you, Fireman Sam, but I can do that myself." Then she cheekily added, "By the way, does Fireman Sam have any other names?"

Sam laughed, "My full name is Firefighter Samuel Jones, but everyone calls me Fireman Sam."

"I see. Um, did you come into the cafe looking for something?"

"Ah yes, I would like to order some sandwiches please."

"Of course!" Ella enthusiastically whipped out a notebook and pencil and scribbled away. Her first order of the day! How exciting!, "What filling?"

"Cheese and chutney, please. That was my usual when Bella used to run the cafe."

"Hmmm, I see..." She rolled the sleeves of her red cardigan up to her elbows, "I'll be back in ten minutes, if you don't mind waiting."

Sam did wait and, sure enough, Ella arrived, gleefully bearing a brown paper bag, "Here you are, five sandwiches with a cheese and chutney filling, in the style of my Auntie, but better, because _I_ made them!"

"...Delicious, I'm sure! Thank you!" Sam happily accepted the bag and dug into his pocket, "How much are they?"

"They're free!" Ella grinned proudly, "It's my gratitude for helping me with the tyre. I did owe you for that time."

"Oh!" Sam smiled, "Well, thank you again! I better be off then, while I'm still early. Nice to meet you, Miss Bella Lasagna!"

Ella waved from the door as he jogged out, "Nice to meet you as well, Firefighter Jones!"

"Call me Sam, please!"

"Then call me Ella! Not Bella!"

"Haha, bye, Ella, NOT Bella!"

"See you around, Fireman Sam!"

Once he was out of earshot, she sadly said to no one in particular, "Lasagna is not my surname, you know."

* * *

"A new arrival in Pontypandy?" "Wow! Bella's Cafe is reopening!" "Really?! I can't wait! Maybe she's back after all!"

Ella's first day of work was happily busy. She made cakes, pastries, pizzas, pasta dishes, you name it, she made it, for citizens to eat inside or take away. She met more and more people who had known Bella, like the Pritchards, whose one-year-old had been taught by Helen to _finally_ burp properly. Ella, who adored children, immediately took to him. There were also people she didn't know, like the Chens, whose little Lily clung onto Ella's leg and refused to let go without a bribe. She also met Tom Thomas and Moose Roberts, who decided to show her around the mountain range, though they somehow ended up bickering over who'd take her out where first.

During her lunch break, she typed up new ideas for inventing new recipes and revamping the old ones on her laptop. She also decided that the doorway between the kitchen and the cafe itself needed a lovely bead curtain for a more home-like feel. She then ordered two long banquette seaters from Pontypandy's furniture supplier and headed off to Dilys' shop so that she could borrow her stepladder and buy a new smoke alarm and batteries.

While Ella was working, the firefighters were having a fine day as well. They'd gotten back to the station after rescuing Lambykins from the top of Trevor's bus again to find that some new equipment had arrived in the mail. Steele was examining them and taking notes, while the firefighters were all upstairs, waiting on Elvis' cooking.

While Elvis was cooking and singing, Penny whispered to Sam across the table, "I know he has his moments, but if anything goes wrong, could I have one of your sandwiches, please? I've missed Bella's cooking as well and being on duty tonight means I can't stop by the cafe to meet the new girl."

"Don't worry, Penny," Sam whispered back, "I'm sure Elvis' stew will turn out fine. Actually, it's funny you should mention Ella. The new girl, that is. It turns out that she was the very same girl with the bicycle that I met a few weeks ago."

Penny laughed, "What a happy coincidence! She must have given you quite a handsome discount then!"

"Not just any discount! The ultimate discount!"

"Really? They're all for free?!"

"Are you talking about me?" Elvis asked, turning away from the stove. Penny replied, "Not you, Elvis, the new girl at Bella's. Apparently, she gave Sam free sandwiches for helping her repair her bicycle tyre!"

"There's a new girl at Bella's? I knew the cafe was back in business, but I thought Bella would be coming back."

"Doesn't seem like it, Elvis," Sam shook his head, "Bronwen and Charlie told me that Bella won't come back. But I'm sure Ella can cook just as well as her aunt."

"Oh, but I'm sure she can also cook as well as me!" Elvis said proudly, then sighed, "But I really miss Bella." Then he smelled something burning, "Oh no! Not again!"

"Well, what are you waiting for!" Penny said to Sam, as Elvis frantically turned off the stove, for which he'd turned the heat up for twice than recommended, then tried to get his tureen out of the way, only to realize that the handles were metallic, then howled in pain and rushed to turn on the cold water tap and held his hands under it.

Sam chuckled and handed her one of his sandwiches. He took a bite out of another and enjoyed it immediately. The cook was definitely not a person to be trifled with.

"Hmmm, this is delicious!" Penny said with her mouth full. She took her last bite, "Can I have another please?"

Sam looked inside the paper bag and was surprised again. It was empty! "Sorry Penny, I'm afraid I've eaten them all."

"Are you sure Radar didn't eat any?" Penny pointed at Radar, the Fire Station's beloved Dalmatian, who looked up at Sam, then at Sam's lunch bag and whined. Nope, Sam definitely didn't give him any sandwiches.

Sam shook his head, "Radar couldn't eat cheese and chutney."

Penny sighed and went over to help Elvis, who had just tripped over a stray oven mitt, "Oh well. Anyway, we better get ready. Nurse Flood will be here soon to teach us the next step in First Aid."


	3. Chapter 3

**Back in Business****  
**

**Chapter 3  
**

**Author's Note: **And here it is! Chapter 3! I had to do a lot of research for this one. And in recent news, I stepped inside the back of a local fire engine! Whoo!**  
**

* * *

Penny stood near the window, watching Nurse Helen Flood and Station Officer Steele talking enthusiastically while taking stuff out of Helen's smart-car to set up everything they need for today's training exercise. Steele had made the firefighters take Jupiter and Venus out of the garage and then go upstairs, claiming it to be a surprise. Sam and Elvis were at the table having tea that Elvis just made, while Penny just held her cup in her hands without even drinking.

"Still thinking about Firefighter Luca then, Penny?" Sam asked tactfully. Penny turned and nodded with a smile, "Yes, I was just remembering how we used to be paired together for training exercises in England. We were the only Welsh women there, so we were naturally expected to stick together."

"Wow! You've been to England? What's it like there?" Elvis said with wide-eyed wonder. Penny laughed, "It was lovely back then. Just like a postcard. But nothing compared to Pontypandy, of course. I'm glad I made the decision to move here."

"I'm glad too, Penny!" Elvis replied, before hastily correcting himself, "I mean _we_ are glad, that is..."

"So Penny," Sam said, throwing Elvis a wry, amused look, "Please tell us more about your friend. If you want to, of course."

"Oh, why not?" Penny took a sip of tea at last, to Elvis' relief (He didn't slave over the kettle for nothing!) and joined them at the table. "She's a year younger than me, very hardworking and clever. And, of course, she loves children. She told me that the reason she joined the Fire Service was to set a good example to children. And between you and me..." Her voice slipped to a theatrical whisper "...She had hair as short as mine and all the boys still thought she was pretty!"

"Well, I can only imagine how many fires she had to put out of boys' hearts!" Sam exclaimed and they all started laughing.

"Ooh, I get it! Hearts on fire!" Elvis giggled.

"Now that I think about it," Penny remembered with a grin, "Many of the boys there treated us like ladies instead of fellow firefighters and she wasn't having any of it. They learnt that the hard way."

"It's too bad though," Elvis added, looking at Penny's blonde hair and remembering, "You cut your hair short after you joined our fire station..."

"I had to, Elvis, it was...distracting," Penny ran a hand gently through her hair. If only he knew how distracting, she thought.

"All right, chaps!...And chapesses..." Station Officer Steele came in and announced, "You may all now proceed to the garage! This training exercise is officially in session!"

The firefighters put their cups down and slid down the pole, one at a time, Sam first, then Elvis, followed by Penny. They came to the garage and what a sight met their eyes!

Helen Flood stood over different kinds of equipment and three dummies with neither arms nor lower body. She welcomed them in enthusiastically, "Hello, firefighters! Station Officer Steele has kindly asked me to help with today's training session, which will be a refresher course in CPR!"

"Ah, cardiopulmonary resuscitation!" Penny exclaimed, "I learnt that in England a long time ago!"

"Card-ee-yi-pulver-what?" asked a confused Elvis. "They call it CPR for short," Sam explained, "It's a very important part of First Aid. Almost everyone in Emergency Services knows how to do it. Nurse Flood taught it to us some time back, remember? She called it 'the kiss of life.'"

"Ooh! The kiss of life! I remember now!" Elvis said excitedly, "When a person has passed out, you must help them breathe again!" Then his shoulders slumped with disappointment, "But I've forgotten how to do it."

"That's why it's called a refresher, Cridlington," Steele replied, shaking his head exasperatedly, "It helps to clean out your memory, to make you remember."

This perked Elvis up, "Wow, OK! I can't wait to learn again!"

Helen spoke up again, "All right everyone, listen up! As you must know, CPR is used on people who stopped breathing and people whose hearts stopped beating. This may happen because of many reasons like drowning, heart attacks or even because of smoke inhalation."

"Terrible," Elvis muttered. "Exactly. And dangerous," Helen nodded and continued, "Paramedics, firefighters, policemen, even nurses like me, have been taught CPR. Even Tom, Moose and Ben know how to perform CPR, but they have already had their refresher. Now, CPR is usually performed using your hands. But professionals also have equipment to make things easier, such as special masks and even defibrillators for really life-threatening situations. Today, I have brought along some dummies from Newtown Hospital to make it easier to practice your CPR skills. Sam, you go to that dummy. Elvis takes this one and Penny, over here."

The firefighters knelt down in their assigned positions. Elvis took one look at his dummy and raised a hand. "Yes, Elvis?" Helen asked. "Um, Helen...Why aren't we using Dolly for practice instead?"

Helen smiled, "We won't need Dolly today. She doesn't have an open mouth and her hands and feet might get in the way of practice, you know. This is why you can work with..." She paused to think of a name, "...Millie."

"Uh..." Elvis thought for a moment, then smiled, "Hello Millie, I'm Elvis." Steele facepalmed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

As soon as Ella walked out of the Cut Price Store with the stepladder, her new smoke alarm and batteries, she realized that her lunch break was over and got back to work again. She wasn't one to slack off that easily, considering that she was the descendant of one of many hardworking Italian families. The smoke alarm would have to wait a little while. As she came up to her new cafe, she saw a green van pull up near it.

A man in a blue cap stepped out with a dark-skinned little girl. Ella watched as he opened the doors at the back of the van and pulled out her new long seats, one by one. She went up to them and said hello.

"Mike Flood, at your service!" the man shook her hand with gusto, "And this is my daughter, Mandy!"

"Ella L-Lasagne, nice to meet you! I'll give you a hand as soon as I put this stepladder away inside..." She came out empty-handed and together, she and Mike brought the new seats inside and positioned them close to the shop windows.

"Wow! You're really strong!" exclaimed Mandy, earning an embarrassed reply from Ella, "Not really! A girl just...knows! Now, who'd like a bite to eat before leaving?"

Mike and Mandy took a sundae each to go and Ella waved them off, before cleaning up the tables in her now-empty cafe. Just as she finished and stepped back to admire the result, she heard a cry of horror from across the road. And is that smoke in the air?

* * *

Beepbeepbeepbeep! Whirrrr...

Helen stopped talking and Steele rushed into his office. The firefighters stopped taking notes and stood up as Steele's voice announced the following over the speaker:

"An electric fire at Dilys' shop! Sam and Elvis take Jupiter, quick as you can!"

Penny sat back down and Sam and Elvis grabbed their helmets and found Jupiter outside. They got in and drove off, siren blaring. They arrived at the scene of the fire, where Dilys and Norman were waiting. The woman wailed, "It's in the kitchen, Sam! My oven caught fire!" "Don't worry, Dil, we'll have it out in no time," Sam replied calmly. He took out the breathing apparatus and wore it, then took an electronic name tag from it and gave it to Elvis, who gave him an extinguisher and now wore the black-and-yellow-checkered vest of an entry control officer over his uniform. Elvis slid the name tag into the electronic control board, which announced in a female voice, "Fireman Sam, oxygen level 100%."

Sam rushed into the smoking building. He found the kitchen with no trouble, but what he found in there surprised him. "Great Fires of London! There's no fire!" All the signs that someone else had beaten him to it were there. There was foam all over the smoking oven and it clearly had come from a fire extinguisher. He took out the burnt cake that was in the oven and checked the electricity. It had been switched off.

He left the kitchen and found the fire exit door swinging itself shut. Whoever came in and put out the fire left the shop through it as well. And they must have been in a hurry too, if they didn't want themselves to be seen. "But how did they get through all that smoke without breathing equipment?" Sam wondered out loud. All the same, they had done a pretty good job of putting the fire out.

Sam went outside to meet the Prices and Elvis. He gave his extinguisher back to Elvis and offered Dilys the cake, "Well, the fire's out now. But this cake has seen better days." Dilys took it from him and said, "But I always manage to bake cakes properly! How could it have..." Then she confronted her guilty-looking son, "NOR-MAN PRICE! You didn't turn up the heat while I was downstairs!"

"Yes, Mam," Norman replied sullenly, "I know you told me it'll take an hour, but I only wanted the cake to be baked faster. Sorry, Mam. Sorry, Sam. It won't happen again."

"It won't!" yelled Dilys, "In fact, you will not have cake for three weeks!"

"Oh, MAM!" groaned Norman. This was a fate worse than grounding, that's for sure.

"And I'm going to tell Ella and Bronwen not to sell you any cake either!"

"WHAT! That's not fair!" yelled Norman.

"It is now, Norman," Sam said gently, but sternly, "You have burnt the Floods' oven before. You should know that every time you make a cake, you must go by the book. If you did, then there wouldn't be any fires."

"Sorry," Norman repeated genuinely. Dilys then added, "Thank you so much for saving my kitchen, Sam."

"It's alright, Dil," Sam replied, "But the funny thing is...I didn't put out the fire."

"What?! Then who did?" Dilys gasped.

"What's going *huff* on?" a voice asked.

Everyone turned around. It was Ella. She was holding an empty fire extinguisher and looking as though she had run a marathon.

"There was a fire in my kitchen," Dilys explained, "And Sam put the fire out. Only...he didn't."

"Um..._you_ don't happen to know who did it, did you Ella?" Sam asked her, noticing that she was puffing and panting. He also noticed how much effort she needed to put her right foot forward.

"That *huff* that's what *puff* I wanna *huff* know! I heard the siren *pant* and ran out of my *puff* kitchen and found this *puff* used and dropped inside my cafe! _My_ fire extinguisher!" She handed it to Sam, adding, "Who would take *puff* it without my *huff* permission?"

"Hmmm..." Sam examined the fire extinguisher, noting its lightness now that it was emptied, "Even if our Invisible Hero did take it without asking you, they used it for a good reason."

"We've got our job cut out for us!" Elvis laughed, "Hello, you must be Ella. Sam has been talking about you. I'm Fireman Cridlington, but you can call me Elvis."

"All right, Elvis, nice to meet you!" Ella shook hands with him, her breathing now back to normal, "Good things, I hope?" She raised an eyebrow at Sam, who chuckled, "As good as can be. I enjoyed the sandwiches you made, they were really good! I know I'll be coming to Bel, I mean, _your_ cafe more often!"

"It's alright, you don't have to put it that way. It's still my aunt's cafe, after all," Ella sighed. She shrugged her shoulders. "I will need my extinguisher refilled though. And now that I've seen how fiery Pontypandy can be, I should probably start installing my smoke alarm now."

"I'll help," replied Sam, but Ella firmly said, "No, Sam, I can do it myself. I've...I know what to do."

"Er...alright then," Sam replied, slightly flabbergasted, but accepting. No one usually refuses his help.

Elvis refilled the extinguisher and returned it to Ella, then she and the Prices waved to the firefighters as they drove off back to the station for their CPR refresher.

"See you later, Dilys," Ella said, "I'll return your stepladder soon." She ran back inside.

"Mam...I have an idea," Norman brightened up, "If I find the Invisible Hero, can I be able to eat cake again?"

"Not in a hurry you won't, poppet," Dilys replied firmly, then thought for a while, before adding, "Oh, why not? I don't think you'll find him anyway. Or her."

"I will!" yelled Norman with conviction, "You wait and see! By the end of this week, you'll be feeding me nothing but cake for three weeks!" And he ran away to look for his friends.

"Oh, that boy," Dilys sighed.

Ella had heard everything from inside her cafe while putting up the fire extinguisher. After all, with a voice like Norman's, anything he said could be heard from as far as France. She laughed, then winced as she felt the pain shoot up her leg again. "Oh my giddy aunt," muttered she, "I already had a pill ten minutes ago...I don't believe this..." She went upstairs to find more pills.

**This story will have at least 6 chapters. I have it all planned out...for those who are actually reading this. Sorry for the wait! And who do YOU think this mysterious Good Samaritan was?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Back in Business****  
**

**Chapter 4  
**

**Author's Note: **No, I'm not dead, I'm still here and well, trying to finish this and my other fics while keeping up with life. Please let me know if you are reading and/or enjoying this fic, by reviewing it. And I'm also doing my best to make this story more believable, while trying not to write in a cringe-inducing way. And if anything I wrote sounds wrong or weird, tell me and I shall edit it.**  
**

**Disclaimer:** Ella belongs to me. Tonypridd belongs to me as well and is (As far as I know) fictional. It too is a portmanteau of Pontypridd and Tonypandy, by the way. Fireman Sam and all related characters, as well as Pontypandy, belong to HiT, Prism Entertainment, S4C and all that jazz.

* * *

Sam and Elvis rode back to the fire station in good spirits. "Well, Sam, I guess Norman Price will be having nothing but bread for a while, haha!" Elvis laughed.

"You got that right, Elvis!" Sam chuckled. "But I can't wait to get back to our CPR course back in the station! What about you?"

It's a good thing Sam was driving Jupiter at that moment, because Elvis' face turned pale and he screamed in horror. Sam slammed the brakes, narrowly avoiding Mike Flood's van as it passed around the corner. Sam shouted an apology at Mike, then turned to Elvis, seeing the worry in his face reflected on the latter's, "What is it? What's wrong!"

"I JUST REMEMBERED! MILLIE! TO THE STATION, SAM! STEP ON IT! HURRY, PLEASE!" Elvis shouted and started fidgeting in panic.

Sam rolled his eyes and smiled, knowing Elvis' affinity for practice-dummies, then stepped on it, because he was a good friend, who didn't have the need to judge anyone for anything.

They arrived at the station quickly. As soon as Sam parked it outside next to Venus, Elvis jumped out, hurtled into the garage where Steele, the two rescue ladies and the dummies were waiting and knelt down. He took one look at his notes and tossed them away. Then he cleared the dummy's "airway" by tilting its head back and lifting its chin to check for "breathing patterns" and started practicing his CPR skills with gusto.

"Come on, Millie! Stay with me, please! 1...2...3...4..." He started to press down with the heels of his hands on the dummy's chest, 2 inches for each compression. He kept counting until he had done 30 compressions. "Millie? Are you all right? Millie!"

Sam and the others just looked at the scene in amazement. There was a very odd look on Penny's face though.

Elvis blew twice into the dummy's mouth and repeated the necessary procedures at least four more times, until he finally looked up, satisfaction all over his beaming face, "I think I've really got the hang of it! She'll make it, won't she?"

Penny came up to him and knelt down in front of him, failing to suppress the grin that made its way onto her face, "You mean, HE will live. That was Henry."

"Henry?" Elvis was puzzled, "Who's Henry?"

"H-h-hen-henry's m-m-_myy_ dummy!" Penny started laughing. Sam, Steele and Nurse Flood shared a glance with each other before Steele facepalmed and the other two joined Penny in laughing as well.

In his haste to practice his new lifesaving skills, Elvis had run up to the dummy nearest to him and overlooked the fact that Penny had just backed away from it hastily when he entered the garage. Elvis blushed in shame and looked away, only to notice the real Millie close by. Sure enough, he panicked and demonstrated his newfound skills all over again, until he was satisfied that he had done enough for Helen to verify that she could take it from here with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

Helen then demonstrated other kinds of equipment, like endotracheal tubes and laryngeal masks that could help with clearing airways. Then she evaluated the firefighters on the spot, "Well done, everyone! You have all passed with flying colours! Especially Elvis, of course..." She chuckled, making Elvis blush again. The brigade helped put all the equipment back into the ambulance and waved to Nurse Flood as she drove off to Newtown Hospital to return it all back. As Sam and Steele headed upstairs to prepare elevenses, Elvis turned to Penny and said, "Uh, Penny...Sorry I, er, used your dummy and after you had practiced..."

Penny smiled reassuringly and patted his arm, "That's alright, Elvis. Just be more observant next time, OK?"

Elvis laughed humourlessly, but couldn't quite look her in the eye. "Besides," Penny added, thinking fast, "You learnt everything so well! And all that action! You're a lean, mean lifesaving machine!"

This had the desired effect. "Really?" Elvis lifted his head up and smiled, "Wow, thanks! Haha! Wait, I think we've got something there..." And on the way upstairs, he started singing, "Oh, Imma lean, mean lifesaving machine, doobee-doo-doowah-wah yeah..."

* * *

The next day was a Sunday. Ella woke up, dressed and worked, then finished at twelve noon precisely. It was a reasonable finishing time for a working Sunday in Pontypandy, she decided. Good timing too, because Mrs Chen entered the cafe with Lily just as Ella was getting the stepladder ready.

"Hello, Mrs Chen! Hi Lily! I'll be along soon!"

"That's all right, Ella, we'll sit and watch, won't we Lily?" Mrs Chen asked her daughter. Lily clapped her hands and said, "Smoke!"

"Yes, Lily, that smoke alarm is for telling us if there is smoke," her mother explained.

Ella climbed up the ladder, unscrewed and replaced the old alarm with her new one, then put the batteries in place.

"There! All done!"

The smoke alarm was finally installed. Mrs Chen and Lily watched as the girl slowly descended down the step-ladder. "But aren't you going to check if it works?" Mrs Chen asked, a look of disapproval appearing on her face, "You should go up that ladder and press the button, you know!"

Ella winced. She had seen that expression on her own mother countless times. But she stood her ground and folded the ladder. "Just you watch me, Mrs C! I've got a neat trick!"

She ran out, returned the ladder to Dilys and came back to the cafe. She took a broom that was propped near the cash register and stood directly under the new smoke alarm. The Chens looked on with surprise as she raised the broom and used the tip of the handle to poke the big red button. The alarm promptly started beeping. Ella then pressed the button again and the alarm fell silent.

"There we are! Now, how long will those exercise sheets take?" Ella asked.

Since it was a Sunday and Mrs Chen was one of the schoolteachers, she needed some time to prepare Maths exercises for the children's homework, for when school started the next day. She then decided to leave Lily in Ella's care for four hours.

When Mrs Chen left, Ella asked Lily, "Now what are we going to do today, hmm?"

They spent three and a half hours playing games and when they got tired, Ella had an idea, "I know, how about we go to the Wholefish Cafe? Let's walk, I don't think my bike would be big enough for the two of us."

As Ella locked the cafe, slung her brown rucksack over her shoulder and walked to the pier hand-in-hand with Lily, there was a different sort of activity going on across the road. Norman had invited Mandy Flood over to help him find the Good Samaritan who had put out the Prices' kitchen fire and together, they were examining the evidence that Norman had managed to find while tidying up the place as further punishment from Dilys.

"Well, what do you think?" Norman asked. Mandy turned the sole evidence of the hero's identity in her hand: A scrap of partially burned paper on which only the words "Sugar, two scoo" could be made out. She scrutinised it briefly before saying, "Well, I've seen your Mam's handwriting and it's all loopy...And your handwriting looks just like Lily's..." She ignored Norman's protest that he had the best handwriting ever and added, "And I know that my parents don't write like that. And this is not Mrs Chen's writing either. This is definitely not Fireman Sam's handwriting, I've seen the autograph he gave James. So..."

"And I've seen how Station Officer Steele writes and that's not how he does it! What if it's written be someone we don't know?"

"Impossible!" Mandy exclaimed, "We know everyone in Pontypandy!"

"Or do we?" Norman asked, a conspiratorial grin forming on his face. "Don't be silly," Mandy chided, "Actually, I had a thought. Let's ask Sarah and James if they think this looks like anything they know."

"Cool! They might be at the Wholefish Cafe now!" Norman replied happily. Then his face fell, "Oh, but Bronwen will be making cake there and she won't let me have any!"

Mandy dragged him to his feet, "Focus, Norman! If we get this mystery solved, I bet Mrs Price will let Ella treat us to a chocolate cake!"

"Oh yeah! A huge chocolate cake with strawberries and cream..." Norman started hallucinating, "And when I catch the Invisible Hero, it'll be all mine!"

"_Ahem! _You mean _ours, _Norman?"

"Did I say that out loud? Oops..."

With that, they left the Cut Price store with their evidence and left to find their friends.

* * *

The bell above the Wholefish Cafe door rang. Bronwen was at her usual place behind the counter. "Why, hello there, Lily! And hello, Ella, aren't you working today?"

"Closed early for this little darling here," Ella grinned, "Actually, I'm babysitting for Mrs Chen. Can we have a menu please?"

"Over here, dear. Now you sit down here while I get Lily's usual," Bronwen smiled and set the menu down on a table that had a conveniently-placed high-chair for Lily to sit on. After getting themselves settled comfortably, Ella read the menu. As she read it, she was suddenly overwhelmed by memories of sneaking off to Angie Grant's cafe to indulge in Welsh cuisine, whenever Italian food became unbearable, which was almost all the time. Not that she hated to eat Italian all the time, it was in her blood, but as a Welsh-born, she felt much closer to Wales and Her cuisine. Her eyes and mouth began to water as the feeling of finally coming home overwhelmed her. She could almost taste the rarebit, Glamorgan sausage and laverbread on offer...

"El-LA! YAY!"

Lily's joyful shout broke Ella out of her reverie and she shook her head to get it out of the clouds. She focused properly on the menu and grinned. All her favourites were listed on it. It would be a stretch to sample them all. But it wouldn't hurt either...Decisions, decisions...

"So, what will it be, Ella?" Bronwen stood ready with her notebook and pen. "_Caws pobi_ with ale, please!" Ella enthusiastically slammed the menu onto the table, shocking everyone present for a moment.

"Well, er, it will be ready quite soon," Bronwen was taken aback, but pleased nevertheless.

While her order was being prepared, Ella watched over Lily, who was enjoying her apple pie and chocolate milkshake and made sure that she did not spill anything on her lilac overalls. They talked and laughed, or rather, Ella rambled happily about how much she loved Welsh food and Lily laughed at and pointed out how ridiculously happy she looked.

"Here's your rarebit, dear!" Bronwen finally came over to the table and set Ella's order down.

"_Diolch_! Yummm..." Ella took up her fork and knife and attacked the rarebit with gusto. 'Life is good,' she thought as the bread and cheese melted on her tongue, 'Life is so, so good.'

Norman and Mandy entered the cafe and greeted Bronwen, who called Sarah and James for them. Norman looked around sneakily, then put a finger to his lips and motioned for his friends to go out to the back of the cafe. It was there that Norman and Mandy filled the Jones twins in on the beginning of their investigation.

"Who do you think it is?" Mandy asked. Sarah held the evidence in her hand and James looked at it over her shoulder. "This is not Dad's handwriting."

"Or Mam's..." James said.

"Or Uncle Sam's...Could it be Elvis?"

"No way, I have his autograph!"

"Let's make a list! That way, we'll know about the people..."

"...Whose handwriting styles we haven't seen yet!" James finished happily.

"And we'll know if they were anywhere close to Mrs Price's fire!" Mandy clapped her fist on her palm, "Great thinking, you two! You are ace detectives!"

"But _I'm_ the best detective in Pontypandy EVER!" Norman complained.

Then a shout rang out, "OH NO! LION!"

The children ran out to see what the commotion was all about. Bronwen was outside the cafe, one hand holding a mobile phone and staring in horror at Lion, who had somehow made his way onto the roof of the Ocean Rescue Centre. The twins rushed to their mother's side and started calling out for Lion to come down. Ella came running out of the cafe with Lily in her arms. "Oh dear, I must call Fireman Sam!" cried Bronwen and dialled 999 immediately.

"Don't you mean, call the Fire Brigade?" Ella asked. Bronwen looked at the girl as though she had gone mad. "Of course! It's just that Fireman Sam is always on the front lines in every emergency, so we always say 'Call Fireman Sam' anyway! Uh...yes, Fire Service please..."

Ella just raised an eyebrow at her, before sighing and looking at the rooftop where Lion was relaxing as though he was a sunbathing tourist. Norman then had a silent eureka moment and whispered to Mandy, "Shouldn't the Invisible Hero be here by now?" But although Mandy was listening to him, her attention was elsewhere. She held up a hand to shush Norman and pointed at the road.

Jupiter had arrived bearing Sam and Penny, who was at the wheel. Sam got off and assessed the situation. He saw that Lion was sitting on the roof, between a solar panel and the edge of the rooftop, where if he was not careful, he could fall off. "Penny, we're going to need the turntable ladder for this one! Stabilise Jupiter!"

Just as Penny got off Jupiter and pulled the lever to stabilise Jupiter, Mandy felt a tap on her shoulder. It was James, who whispered, "Look over there! She looks like she saw a ghost!"

James pointed discreetly as Norman and Sarah looked along with Mandy at the person he was referring to. The 'she' in question was not Bronwen (Though she did look scared out of her wits) or Lily, who was thrilled at all the action.

When she heard Sam call out the name 'Penny,' it was as though time had stopped for Ella. A shiver ran down her spine and when she saw Penny's face, her bottom lip trembled slightly. Too many emotions flashed through her mind all at once and she did not know which one to process first. What she did know was that her worst fears were on the way to becoming true.

And then her attention turned to Sam. She watched as he and Penny worked together to bring back down the cat that looked so much like Rosa as the kids cheered and almost at once she got a funny feeling in her heart, as though an ice-cold hand had grabbed it and started squeezing the life out of it. That was when the pain started again.

Only this time, it was stronger than usual. Her entire lower leg and knee throbbed and burned, as though it were the first time it was happening.

Ella stifled a moan through gritted teeth and tried not to buckle under the weight of the little girl she was carrying. 'No,' she thought to herself sternly, 'No! I'm made of better stuff than this! I am a fir...No, I'm not...I'm not..."

"There you go Bronwen! Safe and sound!" Sam's cheerful voice brought Ella back from her thoughts, making her forget the pain for a moment. "Oh Lion, you had me worried!" Bronwen cooed as she took Lion into her arms. Ella, who was standing next to her with Lily, watched Sam smile at his sister-in-law. 'Look at him, smiling like that!' she thought, 'So smug he is, I bet he thinks he's the best firefighter in the world! Wait, what am I thinking?!

'He's only doing his job! But he's so good at it! So good that it makes me want to wipe the smile off his..."

"Kitty!" Lily squeaked happily and tried to grab at the cat. She would have fallen out of Ella's arms if the latter hadn't reacted quickly by taking a small step forward and grasping her around the waist tightly. At the same time, Lion made a dash for freedom into the cafe. However, when Ella moved to grab Lily, all it took was a small step for the pain to come back anew and she stumbled forwards. "A-aie!" she cried out as they both fell.

"Ella!" Sam and Bronwen exclaimed.

Sam caught them and hoisted Lily from Ella's grasp. He handed her to Bronwen and put his hands on Ella's shoulders, helping her stand up.

Ella leaned with her back against the cafe's large window and swept stray hair strands out of her eyes. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply with a hand on her mouth, willing the pain to go away. Sam kept one hand on her elbow and asked worriedly, "Are you all right? You looked like you were in pain just now..."

"I'm _fine_," Ella ground out, suddenly furious, "D-d-don't look at me like that! I don't need...Just go away!" She shrugged Sam's hand away, collected Lily from Bronwen and stalked off in a huff, as a very confused-looking Lily waved bye at the others. The way Ella walked, or rather limped, did not escape Sam's notice.

Bronwen watched them go, looking just as nonplussed as Lily, "Was it something I said?" Sam mused aloud. "That's some temper," Bronwen shook her head, "What could possibly be wrong?"

Penny had heard Ella's cry of pain just as she was pulling the retracting lever for the ladder. As she turned around, she saw Sam catch a young brunette of about roughly her age. She was quite far away from them to make out the girl's face, but she could tell that she looked angry. She started to walk up to them and as she did, she heard snatches of what the girl was saying.

'That voice sounds familiar,' she thought. 'But where...?'

Just as she came nearer, the young woman huffed and flounced off with Lily in tow. Penny racked her brains as she joined the group outside the cafe. "Are we all set to go then?" she asked Sam. "Uh, yes," Sam replied, "I believe we are. Well, see you later Bronwen. 'Bye kids."

"Bye, Sam! Bye Uncle Sam!" They all called out at once.

Sam and Penny got into Jupiter and as they drove, Sam noticed Penny tapping her chin and frowning, "Something wrong Penny?"

Penny looked up and her frown deepened, "That young lady, Sam. The one who was carrying Lily..."

"You mean Ella? Oh, yes, you haven't met her yet."

"So that was Ella, huh? No, I only saw her today. But...Sam." "Yes?"

"I know today is the first time I've seen her in person. But I can't help thinking I've seen her before." "Oh?"

"And her voice...I feel like I've heard it before. I just can't seem to remember."

Sam said, "I see. Well, maybe I'll be able to introduce you one day. That is, if she's not angry with me."

"Why would she be angry with you?" Penny asked as they got off. "I don't know," Sam replied, "But I do know that there's something wrong with her right leg. Maybe she was disguising pain as anger. All the same..." Before Sam could continue, another emergency call came through on Jupiter's radio.

* * *

Ella brought Lily back to the Chen residence and was pressured into having a cup of tea before leaving. She then carried on walking home. But somewhere else in Pontypandy, things weren't going so smoothly.

"HELP! HEEELP!" It was Trevor Evans. He had somehow gotten himself stuck upon a tree in Hibbert Street, trying to retrieve a handkerchief for Dilys like the adorkable sucker that he was. He was now clinging to the trunk with the handkerchief in his hands, eyes squeezed shut and feet firmly on a branch while Dilys shouted, "Don't worry Trevor! Fireman Sam will be here soon!"

"I don't think I can hold on much longer, Dilys!" Trevor cried. "No, Trevor, don't say that! I know you'll be safe soon!"

Trevor just stayed there like a scared koala for what seemed like an eternity until suddenly, something strange happened.

"No! NO! Don't go there, that's har-zar-dious!" Dilys was yelling. Then Trevor heard a light _thwack_ close to him and felt fingers tapping his shoulder gently. The touch felt oddly comforting. That meant Fireman Sam was here at last.

He opened his eyes and found himself face-to-face with...Not Fireman Sam.

Trevor stared in disbelief.

The figure that stood on the flat top of the ladder wore blue trousers and a green hooded poncho. It was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman, especially because they were wearing a makeshift mask made from a white handkerchief, two corners knotted behind each ear, that covered their face. However, Trevor could see their eyes, which were warm, hazel and concerned.

They held out an arm to him and beckoned. Trevor considered it for a second, then asked, "Why would I trust you? You're not a firefighter!" The not-so-Invisible Hero's eyes widened in what looked like hurt at that comment, but beckoned faster to him.

Trevor then made the really stupid decision of looking down and regretted it. He immediately reached out to the Good Samaritan and allowed them to lift him carefully in a Fireman's Lift. He shut his eyes as they made their way down to earth and only opened them when his feet touched the ground.

The Hero pressed Trevor's shoulders lightly and made him sit down on the grass to feel better. Dilys came running up to them and knelt next to Trevor, cooing, "Are you all right, Trevor? Don't worry about my handkerchief, you can keep it and give it to me tomorrow..."

"Uh-huhuh," Trevor laughed weakly as he wiped his brow with said handkerchief. Dilys then rounded on the Hero, "Are you the one that saved my kitchen the other day?" The Hero nodded silently.

"Quiet one, aren't you?" Dilys added. Then they heard Jupiter's siren and the fire engine hurtled into the scene and stopped nearby. Penny and Sam got off from the engine and immediately realised what had happened, when they saw the hooded stranger.

"Hello there!" Penny called out in a friendly tone and walked up to the Invisible Hero. But the newcomer was having none of that. Their eyes narrowed in sudden fear as Penny came closer. The female firefighter barely noticed the hazel shade of the Hero's eyes before the latter bolted off in the direction of Vale Road.

"Hey! Come back! We just want to talk!" Sam yelled, but the stranger had disappeared, "How odd..."

**Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry this update is late. But don't worry this is coming along nicely. At least to me...Anyway, I think there'll be at least two more chapters before the story finishes and I hope you're enjoying this so far. And if you find some of the emergencies in Pontypandy ludicrous, then remember that this is a Fireman Sam fic, many of the emergencies are bound to be ludicrous, haha! Also, I'll be going back and making a few edits to the previous chapters every once in a while.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Back in Business**

**Chapter 5**

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for reading this! If anyone's reading at all...I know you're there, so you better reveal yourselves haha! Goodness knows it took me long enough to even start writing a fanfic for Fireman Sam! By the way, sorry if my detective plot is not good, because I'm not completely used to writing thick plots. Also, just thought I'd let you all know, this is a fic that even kids can read, it's PG-rated for the rescues that happen in this chapter and the last. Now, on with the story!

* * *

"This is *huff* _not_ going to do...*huff*," Ella wheezed to herself in the privacy of her bedroom. She had just ran home after returning Lily to the Chens and the effort had tired her greatly, although she was a quite active person. As she went upstairs to her bedroom, she carefully unpinned her braids from their loop around her head and they fell to rest just over her elbows. She unbuttoned her cardigan and hung it over the mirror of her dressing table before knocking her shoes off and lying down on her bed. "Too much energy being wasted, " she added as she tried to regulate her breathing, "Must reserve it for the cafe...Can't keep going on like this..." She just lay there staring at the ceiling with a dozen thoughts buzzing through her head as she slowly dozed off...

_Hmmm, let's see...Two scoops of sugar, one pinch of salt...No, no, no, that's not right...Two scoops of sugar, a pinch of paprika and some rosemary should do the trick._

_Oh yes, Auntie's old potato patch! That definitely needs rejuvenating...I must order some compost from Newtown and turn the soil over, so that next week's rain can do the rest!_

_I wonder how Matt is doing. Better send him a letter as soon as I can. No, an e-mail should be fine, he can delete it as soon as he reads it. But not just yet, it's only been a month and one and a half weeks since I arrived..._

_*COUGH! COUGH!* Where's all this smoke coming from?! Oh gosh, I can't move, what's happening?! It's too hot, the world's gone orange! Wait, who's that crying? Lily? LILY?! Are you...There you are! Wait, that's not Lily...that's..._

_"DAAAAAAAAADDDYYYYYY!"_

*GASP!*

Ella sat up on her bed with a start. She breathed heavily, then realised she was sweating and opened the window near her bed. The breeze from outside cooled her and she looked out forlornly at the mountain range not too far away.

_Another nightmare_, she thought, _Just when I believed they were gone for good...And it's all THEIR fault..._

She sighed and tried to sit up, only for the pain to start again.

"NnnnnggggGAAH!" she cried out and lay back down on the bed, trying to hold back tears. This time, it was not the ordinary dull pain that she felt after taking a painkiller pill once a day like the doctors had ordered. This was worse. This was the sharp, excruciating pain that she felt the first time she woke up in Newtown hospital five hours after...

_"O Dio_, no!", she thought in panic. "Not again!" With great difficulty, she finally sat up on the bed, gnashing her teeth in pain and reached for the pill bottle on the bedside table nearby. She took one pill and washed it down with a glass of water she had on standby. A moment later, she took another one.

"Now, about that potato patch..."

She got up and put on her shoes, not bothering to pin up her plaits or grab her cardigan. After grabbing a wide-brimmed hat (It was a hot day), some essentials from the backyard and a map of Pontypandy that Bella had given her before she left Italy, she made her way to the fields near the mountain range and easily found Bella's reasonably-sized potato patch. It looked rather lonely. She thought it must have been left alone for quite a while and that made her sad. She immediately started to shovel and sift the soil and did as much planting as she could manage. She did her best to flex her bad leg as many times as possible, knowing that keeping it in the same position for more than five minutes will trigger instant pain.

Just as she was planting one last row of potatoes, she heard a vehicle approaching and a voice calling her name.

"Ella! Hi Ella!" It was Elvis.

Ella gulped and tipped the brim of her hat to cover her eyes before turning around to greet an approaching Elvis...and Penny. Ooh, this is bad. Ella recognised the vehicle they rode in as a rescue tender commonly used by many fire stations, even the one in Tonypridd. She tried not to look like a deer caught in headlights as they parked and got off.

_O_ Dio, _don't let her recognise me_...

"Penny, this is Ella, Ella, meet Firefighter Penny Morris, my and Sam's co-worker! Isn't she cool?" Elvis gushed. Penny laughed, "Honestly, Elvis, I'm just one of the boys, haha! And Ella, nice to meet you at last! You're the talk of the town!" She held out a hand to Ella, who shook it tentatively, thinking, '_Good, she doesn't recognise me_.' In her head, she made up an idea and put it to action.

"Ah, _si_, so your name is-a Penny, no? Elvis, he is-a telling me all about-a you!" Elvis' jaw dropped. That's not the Ella he remembered! Sure, she had a tinge of Italian in her voice, but this is ridiculous! He started to ask, "Um, Ella, why are you tal-"

"Ah, you see, I am-a, how you say, regrowing my Auntie's-a potatoes! They is-a needing lots of-a sun and the water! See you now!" And Ella turned her back on Penny, sighing with relief as she resumed her task.

"OK, er...Let's go Elvis. Station Officer Steele must be waiting for us," a nonplussed Penny said and led Elvis back to Venus. While Penny drove, she frowned as she watched Ella through the side mirror. "Elvis," she questioned, "Does she really speak like Bella?" "N-no, not at all, I swear! Her voice has more of a mix between Italian and Welsh than completely Italian, I've heard her talk," Elvis replied.

"I thought so. I've actually heard her real voice myself," Penny said, "And why was half her face covered in front of me? All very mysterious..."

* * *

A few more reports of the Invisible Hero of Pontypandy came up the next day and the day after. Posters drawn by James revealed that Pontypandy was on the lookout for a person wearing a green poncho with a hood and a mask that covered the lower half of their face. Nobody knew, however, what colour the person's eyes definitely were, although Trevor, Dilys, Sam and Penny could have sworn that they were either green or hazel. As Pontypandy's kid detectives kept finding clues, suspects were drawn up, such as Ben Hooper, Moose Roberts and even the ghost of Pontypandy Pete (a "bright" idea made by Norman, that Mandy immediately tossed aside). Norman became more and more frustrated as their clues and suspects seemed to lead them to nowhere and his dream of eating cake seemed to be out of reach.

The firefighters were just as puzzled. Sam made up a pattern on a map of Pontypandy detailing the Hero's rescues and explained to Elvis, Penny, Tom, Helen and Steele what he had learnt so far.

"...And the most recent rescue carried out by this Invisible Hero of Pontypandy was saving Nipper from falling off a crumbling cliff not too far away from the Mountain Rescue Centre and then leaving him in front of the Wholefish Cafe. Charlie showed me the note he found attached to Nipper's collar and I have it..." He took a piece of paper out of his pocket, "...right here." Each of them read it and passed it around until it was back in Sam's hand.

On it was written, "He almost fell off a cliff. Luckily I was there. Please take better care next time. X."

As this was happening, Mandy visited Norman to see if he had made up any conclusions yet. She went upstairs to his room to see if he was there, "Norman? I've come about the Invisible Hero!"

"N-not now, Mandy, I'm, uh, busy!"

"Norman?" She put her ear to the door. Was that the sound of munching she heard?

"Norman Price, you didn't!" She barged in on him. Sure enough, Norman's legendary impatience had got the better of him and he was halfway through eating one of a pack of six strawberry cupcake with luscious white icing. Mandy recognised them as the ones Bronwen had made recently. He looked up defiantly at her, "Well, Mam said I couldn't eat cake, not CUPcakes! So there!"

Mandy sighed, "At least don't eat them all at once or you'll get sick..." And she left to call on the twins.

Throughout it all, Ella gradually integrated herself into the Pontypandy community. She made more and more friends, exchanged and created new recipes and passed on news of her progress to Bella via AirMail. She seemed happy.

Emphasis on "seemed."

"You know, love, I think Ella has been looking rather sick lately," Charlie commented to his wife that evening as they were tidying up the cafe. "She's looking paler than normal and her hands trembled as she handed me these mince pies I bought for tomorrow's breakfast." "Oh?" asked Bronwen, "Did you ask her why?" "I asked her if she was feeling well. She looked at me as though a lobster had caught her nose and said, 'I will be if you stop asking rubbish questions!'"

"How rude! But strange too," Helen Flood was having a similar conversation with her husband. "Very strange," Mike agreed, "And such a normally nice young lady too! Maybe you should try to give her a check-up, love, she looks like she could do with one!" "I think I should, Mike," Helen nodded, "I noticed that she has been taking painkillers almost every day. It's alright to have one once or twice a day if you have some kind of pain, but too many might be bad for you. And I'm worried that might be the case with Ella."

Both sets of parents did not notice that their children were eavesdropping on them, when they should have been getting ready for bed.

* * *

Later, that night..

_Flames everywhere! Where are the stairs? I must get there quickly! Agh! That door's blocked! And where's all this smoke coming from?!_

_Just let me adjust my breathing appar...Oh no. No. No. NONONONO! I can't have forgotten! I don't forget! Why didn't Ada remind me sooner?! No time, no time to lose... Must. Find. Him._

_"Daddy! Daddyyyyy_!_" It's him! He's upstairs! Oh no, he must be trapped in his bedroom! Where are those stairs? Ah, found them!_

_Which way do I go?! Why is this smoke so impossible?! *cough cough* Good thing I have this handkerchief, better put it over my mouth and tie the ends behind my ears. There we are. How could I have forgotten my own breathing equipment?! No, no, focus! Focus! Find him now!_

_"I'M HERE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"_

_Nothing but the sound of wildly crackling flames and the stench of burning building. It's hotter than Mamma's oven in here..._

_Finally! There's the room! I remember it! Oh no, it's locked. Remember your training now...Stand back, firmly on the ground, lift one foot up and CCCRRRRACK! The door has been broken down. Poor little thing's cornered by the flames. If I don't reach him quickly..._

_"I'll take you to your Daddy! I'm coming!"_

_Poor baby, he's so scared. I hugged him close as I leapt and bound through the fiery maze. Ran downstairs, but the door to the living room is blocked. Darn it, that leads to the front door! I'll have to go through the back door._

_Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hu-WHOA__!_

_Ow! I think I tripped on what's left on the carpet. I shook my head and looked down at the little boy in my arms. Still holding me tight. He's depending on me..."Don't be scared, sweetheart, we'll be fine..."  
_

_He looked at me, scared, then he looked past me and screamed in terror. WHAT?! I turned around..._

_Oh no! A flaming beam's going to fall onto us! My reflexes kicked in and I threw us both to safety..._

_He's wailing at the top of his lungs...But the beam got there first...I opened my mouth as I felt the impact, but no sound escaped it...  
_

_The last thing I remember was the worst pain that I've ever felt in my life combined with my rescuee's screams of "D___AAAAAAAAADDDYYYYYY!"_ ringing in my ears...World__...going...dark..._

With a gasp, The Hero woke up abruptly...

And started to cry. Then The Hero did everything possible to make it stop.

* * *

Five more days went by with little progress on The Invisible Hero's identity. Then...

"All right," Sarah said to Mandy, "James has gone up to the Fire Station to see if Uncle Sam has found anything. Where's Norman?"

"The little cheat," Mandy retorted, "He's probably gone to steal a cake! I caught him with an entire stash three days ago!" "So that's where Mam's new cupcakes were!" Sarah giggled, then pointed to the distance, "There he comes now!" They were standing under a tree near Pandy Hill.

Norman came hurrying up to them. The girls noticed that he was wiping chocolate icing from his face and looking slightly green.

Mandy rolled her eyes and flatly exclaimed, "You did it again." "That doesn't matter *ugh* now!" Norman exclaimed, "I've got something big!"

"Go on then! Out with it!" Sarah replied excitedly. Norman sat down with his back against the tree trunk.

"Ooh, my poor tummy!" Norman groaned. He took a couple of deep breaths, then began to explain, "So I went down to Bella's Cafe, to, uh...see if Ella was there..." Mandy and Sarah smirked at him. "...And she actually was. She had just come back from a pizza delivery. And she didn't seem to...Oh, all right, I was there to take a piece of cake for myself and she almost noticed! Her cakes are soooo good!"

"We know Norman, we know," Mandy rolled her eyes as Sarah giggled behind her hand, "Now tell us...Ella came back from a pizza delivery, saw you and...?"

"She didn't notice I had taken a piece and hid it behind my back! She was kind of sweaty, her bag dropped to the floor and she was walking all weird, like a zombie with no hands. I waited till she went to the kitchen before I walked out, but then I saw something green sticking out of her bag and..."

"And what?" Sarah stopped giggling.

"I took that too," Norman reached into the bag he had with him and took out a green bundle of fabric.

Mandy and Sarah unfolded it and gasped. "The Invisible Hero's poncho!" Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "But what would...!"

"Whheew!" Mandy whistled in astonishment. Then her eyes widened in horror, "Oh no! Did you say Ella went into the kitchen, walking all weird and sweaty?!"

"Y-yeah," Norman moaned and buried his face in his bag.

"Sarah, stay with Norman! I have to call my Mam!" Mandy ran off to look for a public phone.

"Bwllarghhh!" Norman was throwing up violently into his bag. Sarah grimaced and backed away from him.

"Eeeew...I wonder where James is?"

* * *

Pontypandy Fire Station, at about the same time...

James was lurking beneath the fire station pole, listening to the conversation between the three firefighters in the mess hall above.

"I just can't seem to put my finger on it!" Sam said to Elvis, who was peeking over his shoulder as he studied the pattern he had drawn up on the map, "I know that these rescues have something in common with each other, but I can't seem to find it!"

"We'll get there, Sam, we will," Penny finished pouring up ice tea for everybody. "We've already ruled out the possibility of more than one person, so we definitely know that someone with fire safety knowledge is behind it all."

"I know, Penny, but if it is one person, then...A-ha! What if..." Sam took a pencil and ruler and started to make some diagrams on the map.

Elvis joined Penny at the kitchen counter and whispered, "He's been trying to find a solution all day. I'm surprised he hasn't even missed a rescue because of it."

"Oh well, it's not like it's harming our jobs though. This Invisible Hero has only done 1 in 4 rescues in Pontypandy compared to us," Penny whispered back, handing him a full glass. "I wish Luca was here. She would know what to do, she loves a good mystery."

"Say, why do you call her Luca, anyway?" "When we first met each other at the Academy, there were two other girls named 'Penelope' in our class, so she called me 'Morris' and I called her 'Luca.' Oh, that reminds me! I found a picture of us from a long time ago!" Penny took out a slightly grainy photo and showed it to Elvis, "This was taken by Luca's brother when we went on holiday to Llangennith Beach together!" Elvis took it and smiled.

It was a picture of two wetsuit-clad girls laughing at the camera, standing next to propped up surfboards with an arm around each other. He easily recognised Penny, whose then-long hair was tied up in a bun. The other girl was a slim brunette about the same age, with short straight hair parted to the left in a side-fringe and an eerily familiar face...

Elvis stared at it. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. "T-th-that face!" he spluttered. "It's her! SAM!" He ran up to his friend. "Elvis, give that back!" Penny cried, "What happened?!"

"Ah, just in time you two! I found-" Sam began, but Elvis cut him off and shoved Penny's photo under his nose. "Look, Sam!"

"Oh, you look like you're having a great time, Penny!"

"Not that! Look at the other lady!"

"What do you...oh." Sam froze. He had noticed. He frowned, "_Great fires of London_..."

Then he remembered. "My map! I finally found the common factor!"

"What are you two on about?!" Penny shouted in exasperation. The two men looked at her with identical looks of concern. Then Sam walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, "Penny...there's no easy way to say this..."

James had heard enough. He high-tailed it from the fire station but as he came out, something in the near distance caught his eye.

"What is it?" Penny asked, a feeling of dread creeping up on her.

James took out his binoculars from his bag and looked. His heart skipped a beat, "Oh no..."

Elvis approached Penny from one side, "Firefighter Luca has come to Pontypandy."

"She has been here for a while," Sam nodded. "We have found our Invisible Hero."

"But whatever do you...Oh my..." Penny came to a realisation and her hands flew up to her mouth. "But you both told me that her surname is Lasagna!"

"I assumed it was," Sam said grimly.

"UNCLE SAM! ANYBODY! HELP!" James' shouts came from down below. The firefighters immediately took the pole and met him and Station Officer Steele, who had just got out of his office to see what the commotion was about.

James was fidgeting with fear and the firefighters gathered around him. "What is it, James?" Sam asked, "And why are you here?"

"Never mind that, Uncle Sam! Come quick!" He led them out and pointed.

There was smoke in the distance.

James handed his binoculars to his uncle, who looked through them.

"Great fires of London!" He uttered for the second time that day.

Bella's Cafe was on fire.

**Whoo! Finally! And as always, sorry for the long wait! Last chapter coming soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Back in Business****  
**

**Chapter 6  
**

**Author's Note: **Last chapter! Yay! I really hope you enjoyed this tale, in spite of the fast pace at which the story went. Like I said before, detective arcs and suspension are not exactly my strongest points and, although it took me over a year and a half to finish this fic, I only found a way to lead the mystery quickly up to the solution a couple of weeks ago.**  
**

* * *

A few minutes earlier...

"Uhh...I can't...focus..." Ella tried to steady her balance on her bike as she rode home from delivering pizza to Mr Roberts, who lived near St Giles' Church, close to Newtown Road.

"Ooh, I feel sick..."

Sure enough, she was. She had gone from taking two pills a day to four or five. She couldn't care about how many pills she had taken or how many days it had been, as long as the pain in her leg was kept at bay. But she could carry on like this for so long and now she was feeling dizzy and nauseous.

"Keep it together, Ella. Pedal faster, you're almost home..." She whispered. And pedal faster she did.

Just as she turned round the corner and approached home, her vision started to blur. Sunspots danced before her eyes.

She arrived and tried to park the bike, only to almost fall off and kept a sweaty hand on the wall to steady herself.

"Just cook...some minestrone...then I'll call it a day..."

Her legs almost gave way as she reached the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Norman looking at her oddly. Was that a slice of chocolate cake in his hand? "Talk to him later..." she whispered and, supporting herself on the doorway, she let herself in.

"Ah!" she clutched at her chest as it started to hurt. "Kitchen. _Now_," she willed herself.

But as Ella entered the kitchen, the pain in her chest increased and she felt like throwing up. She took a few deep breaths and counted to ten before composing herself to a degree and switching on the gas-powered stove she always used. But just as she tried to lift a pan of water, her head started to spin and her leg started to hurt, this time combined with more pain in her chest. Ella lost her balance and bumped on the stove, knocking it over and it tumbled to the floor, knocking over the gas canister and starting a fire.

She was hyperventilating and sweating. "Fire exting..." She took a step forward with her good leg and fell down. She tried to get up, but it was as though there was a dead weight on her body. With effort, she dragged herself halfway out.

Ella was shaking all over. She couldn't breathe properly, with the smoke that now filled the Cafe and her lungs and heart feeling like they were being squeezed.

She managed to reach the doorway that separated the kitchen and the Cafe's dining area, before she passed out. The smoke alarm started beeping.

* * *

"Action Stations!" Steele bellowed as he ran into his office and sounded the fire bell. Elvis and Penny ran into the garage area to collect their helmets.

"James, best you get going now," Sam patted his nephew's shoulder and hurried off to catch up with his coworkers. James ran down the driveway, found his skateboard and zoomed off in search of Sarah and Mandy.

The firefighters boarded Jupiter and Sam took the wheel as Elvis, who sat between him and Penny, reached for the button that turned the siren and lights on.

* * *

Mandy found a phone booth close by and immediately dialed her mother's mobile number. "Come on Mam, pick up..."

After three rings, "Nurse Flood speaking."

"MAM! Mam, it's Mandy, you have to come quick, it's an emergency!"

"What is it, darling? Are you hurt?" "Not me, Mam, I think it's Ella! She's very sick!"

"What do you mean?" "She was all sweaty and walking funny! She must have been taking too many painkillers, like you said to Dad! Something bad must have...oh NO!"

"Mandy?! What happened? And how did you know I was talking to Dad about painkillers?"

"Mam...I see smoke... I think it's coming from Bella's Cafe!"

After a second's stunned silence, Helen said, "I'm coming." And abruptly hung up.

* * *

"...And when I marked the map according to the places the Invi-, er, Ella, had carried out rescues, I found that most of the rescues she had carried out had taken place in areas closest to Bella's Cafe!" Sam was explaining as he drove.

"But what about her fire extinguisher?" Elvis asked, "She had said that someone took it on the day Dilys' kitchen was on fire."

"She was lying. _She _had used her own extinguisher that day."

"But what about her leg?" said a very worried-looking Penny. "She can't be able to rescue someone with a wound like that, could she?"

"Well, she could carry out rescues that are easy for her," Sam explained. "She only got the injury about six years ago, she must have had plenty of time to heal." "But?" Penny asked. "But we know that it must be a really bad injury, if it took that long to heal. Maybe it's still healing."

"Are we there yet?" Penny turned to look out of the passenger seat window. Elvis noticed the look of mingled concern and hurt on her face mirrored in the window and covered her hand with one of his. She gripped his hand tightly without facing him and sighed.

'Oh Luca, what happened to you?' she thought.

* * *

Ella's thoughts before passing out...

_I have...failed. For the second time in my life...I have failed. It's all my fault...I did this to myself...I wanted to believe that I was still able-bodied enough to do this again..._

_I thought I was rid of the pain...the nightmares...the trauma...The trauma of getting injured on the job...trauma of letting Joey down...letting Matt, Ada, Angie and the others down...letting myself down..._

_And I was jealous...Very jealous...I see them doing what they do almost every day...They're so good at it too. So lucky to be who they are. I could have been them...I wanted to be there with them...And I still am jealous. If I hadn't rescued Joey that day, I would still be a firefighter.  
_

_Like Sam. He's everyone's hero, just as I was once.  
_

_Elvis. He loves his job, just like I once did.  
_

_And Morris...Oh, Morris. I missed you so much after we lost contact. I should've asked you for your address in Pontypandy. Heh, I had forgotten that you were living in Pontypandy now. It was quite the shock to see you again. I did what I had to do. ___As much as it hurt me to do it, _I had to avoid you. I didn't want you to know what happened to me._

_I didn't want you to see me like this. And..._

_I was worried that we might not be friends any more if you knew what happened. How could we ever be friends if I can't even do most of the stuff we used to do together?  
_

_I'm sorry...So sorry..._

* * *

Mandy, a slightly groggy Norman and the Jones twins watched as Sam parked Jupiter outside the Cafe at the same time as Nurse Flood's smart-car came hurtling down Pandy Lane. As the firefighters got out and prepared themselves, Helen parked the car, got out and rushed over to Sam with her medical kit, "Sam, Ella is still inside and she might not be in good shape. You'll have to bring her out carefully, unless the Invisible Hero has already rescued her."

"Oh Helen, you have no idea," Penny sighed. She had taken charge of entry control duty and already collected Elvis' oxygen tag. Sam gave her his tag and went to roll a hose out of Jupiter. Penny then went up to Elvis, "You will find her quickly, right?"

"Don't worry, Penny, we'll get her out," Elvis smiled hopefully and put on his oxygen mask. Sam kicked the door of the Cafe open and went in with the hose, followed by Elvis. The beeping of the smoke alarm could easily be heard from within the building.

"Mam! We know who the Invisible Hero is!" Mandy shouted as she ran up to her mother and Penny. "It's Ella!" She brandished the green poncho in front of them.

Penny gasped, "Where on earth did you find that?" "Norman did, Penny," Mandy replied.

"Oooh, navy blue! What on earth has happened?!" Dilys hollered as she came out to witness the commotion. Then she noticed Norman's slightly green face, "Oh, _Nor_-man precious, are you all right?"

While Sam and Elvis carried out their rescue, everyone talked amongst themselves providing each other with explanations about Ella's alter ego and Norman mysteriously avoided telling Dilys how he got so poorly in the first place.

* * *

"Ella?" Elvis shouted. "EL-LA!"

"The fire's coming from the kitchen, Elvis!" Sam called, "Grab the extinguisher over there and help me put the fire out!"

"Roger that, Sam!" As Elvis went over to the wall where the fire extinguisher was hooked, he noticed an arm sticking out of the kitchen doorway. "Sam! I found her! I think she's out cold on the floor!"

Sam dropped the hose, went over to where Elvis pointed and knelt down beside Ella's unconscious body. She was lying face-down on the floor and looked like she had been struggling to crawl out of the kitchen. He took her in his arms and checked her neck for a pulse. It was weak. "Elvis, you have to get her out of here now! Hand her over to Nurse Flood and turn on the water before you come back in!"

"Here!" Elvis lifted up Ella over his shoulders and carried her out of the Cafe. Penny dropped the electronic board she was holding in shock, then ran over to get a stretcher from Jupiter, as Elvis delivered the patient to Nurse Flood, turned the water valve and announced to Sam via walkie-talkie as he re-entered the building, "Water on, Sam!"

"It's a gas fire, Elvis!" Sam replied, "You put out the fire while I concentrate on cooling the gas canister!"

"Right you are, Sam!" Elvis unhooked the fire extinguisher and put out the fire. It took some minutes for the canister to fully cool down. When it was all done, Sam and Elvis assessed the damage. Most of the kitchen was black and charred.

"She's not going to be happy when she wakes up," Elvis remarked.

"_If_ she wakes up," Sam said, looking worried. "She's in bad shape." They took off their breathing apparatus as they walked out of the Cafe.

Ella was lying in a stretcher, an oxygen mask fitted over her face and her hair, now undone from its crown braid, flowed down her shoulders. Penny was putting her CPR skills to practice and desperately whispering words of encouragement to her old friend. Dilys and the children stood aside, watching the scene anxiously.

Elvis knelt down to help Penny, while Sam consulted with Helen, "Have you found out what has happened to her?"

"I'm afraid she has had this coming for a while now," Helen replied grimly. She had found Ella's painkillers and read the label, "She has been overdosing on Codeine for at least three or four weeks. All that, combined with the stress of carrying out secret rescues and running a Cafe at the same time has overwhelmed her. We can't do much for her while we're here, so we need to take her to Newtown Hospital to be stabilized."

"Why Newtown? We have a hospital right here in Pontypandy," Elvis piped up.

Penny answered the question, "Not so much a hospital as a clinic. Besides, the prescription for Luca's painkillers came from Newtown Hospital, so the doctors who treated her leg there must have known what had happened to her. Please, hurry!"

"She'll deteriorate if we take her in Jupiter. I'll call Tom to organise an air-lift," Sam nodded and did just that. Elvis radioed Station Officer Steele from Jupiter's radio to explain what had happened.

"W-WHAT?!" Steele spluttered when he heard the story, "I see...I must call Chief Fire Officer Boyce immediately!"

Boyce too had a similar reaction and immediately called Tonypridd Fire Station to let them know that their missing comrade had resurfaced in Pontypandy. Unknown to him, a young fireman who was eavesdropping on him took out a mobile phone and dialled a number to make a call of his own.

Meanwhile, Dilys talked to the kids, "Oh, Mandy, did you say that my Norman found the Invisible Hero's honcho?"

"_Poncho_, Mrs Price. And yes, Norman did! He solved the mystery!" Mandy, Sarah and James smiled at Norman, who grinned back in spite of his aching tummy.

"Looks like I really _am_ the best detective ever in Pontypandy, Mam!"

"Of course, poppet!" Dilys hugged her son proudly, "And that means you can have ALL the cake you want!"

"_Cake_?!" Norman pushed his mother away in horror. "_CAKE_?! Uuggghh!" He put his hands to his mouth and ran home to throw up in the bathroom as the girls laughed at him and Dilys and James looked confused.

* * *

_W-where...where am I? _Ella's eyes flew open and she took in her surroundings. _Wait, am I..._standing?!

_I can't be standing, I just fell unconscious a few minutes ago! Wait, this place..._

_"Oh dear, I hope they make it out in one piece!" a voice exclaimed. She whipped around and her eyes widened._

_Ifan Johnson! With Nia and Ravi! "Ifan! Guys! HEY!" Can't they see me or anything?! I'm waving my hands in front of their faces! They can't even hear me! Then...  
_

_Could I be...dead? No, no...Maybe this is some kind of dream...But then, why here? Why this moment?  
_

_Only one way to find out..._

She dashed into the burning building and didn't stop until she found what she was looking for.

And what she found, shocked her.

* * *

"We're almost there now!" Tom Thomas said. He was piloting Wallaby-1 to Newtown Hospital, with Penny and Helen watching over Ella.

"Very good, Tom, keep going!" Helen replied. She was holding Ella's wrist and checking her pulse. "No change in heart rate so far," she told Penny, "She is quite fit, so that should be a good thing."

Penny said nothing. She was still saddened and struck by the changes in her friend's life. Even though the slim young woman lying before her had longer hair and a little more meat on her bones than she remembered, this was definitely an older, maturer-looking Firefighter Luca, now no longer a firefighter. A tear rolled down her cheek as she stroked Ella's hair and prayed for her to hold on.

* * *

"_Oh my giddy aunt..._" Ella whispered in shock.

Her brother Matt, aka Fireman Matteo di Luca, was standing over the comatose form of her younger self, pushing the beam that had fallen on her leg away from her. Little Joey was crying, but otherwise unharmed.

"_Sorella! Sorella_!" Now Matt was nudging her, "Sister, wake up! We have to go!"

Young Ella didn't stir. Joey was still crying.

Ella watched sorrowfully as Matt reluctantly gave up and instead took off his breathing apparatus and fixed the mask over his sister's face. He then hoisted Joey onto his shoulder and ran out as fast as he could.

_Oh, Matt, _mio fratello_, I can't believe you did that! And you didn't even tell Mamma and Papa! You poor thing..._

_Hang on, there's something different about all this...The setting, the fire, it all looks so drab, but my younger self looks more...high definition._

On an impulse, Ella reached out and poked her younger self.

_O _Dio_, I can actually feel her, I mean, myself! I...I think I know what I must do...  
_

She reached down and hoisted young Ella over her shoulders in a fireman's lift.

* * *

After assuring Dilys and the kids that Ella is going to be fine, Sam and Elvis drove to Newtown Hospital in Jupiter and just as they parked and stepped out, they saw Wallaby-1 leave the hospital's helipad. They walked into the hospital and met Helen, who updated them on Ella's condition as they walked to the ward she was kept in.

"Dr Atkins is an old friend of mine. She has agreed to treat the excess drugs in Ella's system. She is lucky to be still alive; Things would have been much, much worse if she had overdosed for more than two months."

"Can we see her?" Elvis asked.

"Only Penny is allowed to be by her side for now. Station Officer Steele also called to say that her family and friends in Tonypridd have been told that she is here. Ah, here we are."

They arrived at Ella's ward, just as Penny stepped out of it. Her friends noticed how sad and worn-out she looked.

"She's still unconscious. Dr Atkins says that it may be ten hours before she wakes up."

"We'll come back in the morning to see her," Sam said gently, patting her on the back. "Helen will stay here and call when it's time."

Penny nodded and let her friends lead her out of the hospital.

* * *

_All right, so if my calculations are correct, Angie should be driving the bus here in 5 minutes... _

_Younger me is heavier than she looks. I mean, I'm heavier than...Oh, I think she's awake...Better put her down. O _Dio_, she can see me! She doesn't seem to believe what she sees...Oh well, here, put your arm around my shoulders..._

_There's the window at the back! The very window I myself barely jumped out of 6 years ago. I don't know how I even managed..._

_C'mon, ready, steady, JUMP!_

_We did, er, I did it! We're out. OK, younger me seems to be taking Matt's breathing apparatus off. Ooh, she tried to get up and fell down.  
_

_And right on cue, Angie's arrived. Just like she did when I was in that very situation._

_She looked shocked and scared. She comes running to the young me and hugs her. Young me is crying now, crying with relief and anger and a whole mix of emotions. Then...wait, what?_

_I don't remember this. She actually limps towards me._

_What do you want?_

_She comes closer, smiles rather sadly...and shoves me violently._

_YAAAH!_

*GAHSP!*

Ella's eyes flew open yet again. She tried to sit up, but can't. Her body felt heavy.

She looked around. Her surroundings were mostly white. She rolled her eyes. Newtown Hospital. Of course. She blinked a few times, then sighed. "Thirsty..."

"Luca?" A familiar voice asked.

Ella's eyes widened as she followed the sound of that voice and came face-to-face for the first time in 6 years with Penny Morris.

"Would you like to sit up?"

Guilt and sadness enveloped Ella. She nodded and Penny helped her sit up on her hospital bed. Penny then held a cup of water to Ella's lips, "Here." Ella gulped gratefully and didn't take her eyes off Penny. She then lay back down.

"Are you feeling better?" Penny asked.

"No."

"What do you mean? You just collapsed from a dangerous drug overdose and you're still not better?"

"Morris...not that...it's just. You wouldn't understand."

"Luca, you're my best friend. You know you can tell me anything." "Really?" Ella asked bitterly, "We lose contact just once in our lives and suddenly _this_ happens!" She gulped back a sob. "I had hoped to never meet you until I was better enough to-"

"To do what? Join the Fire Service again?" Penny replied. "...I don't know," Ella cast her eyes downwards, "Oh, Morris, what happened to me 6 years ago was horrible..."

"Dr Atkins told me. She had all your medical notes from the previous doctors who had treated you. Luca...I thought I'd lost you forever. We all did. Why did you try to avoid me in Pontypandy that day?"

"You...you wouldn't...Because I didn't want you to see me like this..!"

"But what's so different?" Penny asked anxiously, "You're still the same Luca that I once shared a flat in England with."

"I'm not a firefighter any more. I thought that we'd never be able to hang out again. We can never do half the things we used to. We can never go abseiling or climbing or...or hang-gliding or...or surfing! We can never talk about our rescues, because I failed at one! I can't do anything! Because I'm _useless!_" Ella sobbed out the last word and broke down.

"I'm sorry, Morris...I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Ella turned her face away as she cried and felt her friend's arms envelope her tightly, but not too tightly. She rested her head on Penny's shoulder and wept out the last 6 years' worth of frustration, fear and sadness as she returned the hug back.

"Oh, Luca, if only I had known..." Penny's voice quavered, she was close to crying, "I'm sorry I forgot to give you my Pontypandy address before I moved."

"I forgot to ask..."

"Now then..." Penny withdrew and wiped Ella's eyes, "We have a lot of catching up to do."

"But first, you have to see it," Ella pushed her blanket aside, "I've never shown it to anyone."

"Your leg?"

Ella nodded. She looked around furtively and then rolled up the right leg of the hospital-issued pajama pants she wore. Penny gasped.

Starting halfway at Ella's thigh and ending just below her kneecap was a large angry-red scar. Around the scar, the skin was dry and raw pink, indicating that it had received second-degree burns 6 years ago. When Penny looked more closely, there were barely-visible suture marks, indicating that stitches had been made.

"You poor thing! How could this have happened to you?!" Penny tentatively reached out and touched it. Ella drew in a breath and spoke again.

"The joint was bunged up so much that the doctors actually considered amputation at some point. I'm just glad they didn't..." Her bottom lip trembled as she rolled the pants leg back down.

Penny and Ella talked and talked at length. As they talked, Penny understood how insecure and ashamed Ella felt about her non-firefighter status and tried her best to comfort her and convince her that there was more to their friendship than being just two female firefighters who loved sporty activities. She also learnt about Ella's life in Italy and they shared memories of Bella with each other.

"So, are you here by yourself or did Sam and Elvis come along too?"

"They couldn't come, Station Officer Steele needed them for rescues, but they said they'll visit soon and send their best wishes. Oh, actually, Chief Fire Officer Boyce said that he had made some calls and..."

"_Sorella_!" At the sound of that voice, Ella gulped. "Oh," Penny said, understanding what had happened.

A young brown-haired man who Penny recognised as Ella's brother, Auxiliary Fireman Matteo di Luca, commonly known as Matt Luca, burst into the room followed by a slightly older blonde-haired woman in a bus driver's uniform that Ella recognised as her old friend, Angie Grant, Welsh cafe owner and occasional bus driver in Tonypridd.

"Oh, Ella, thank goodness you're alright!" Angie cried, rushing to sit on the other side of Ella's bed and grabbing her hand, "Matt called me as soon as he found out!"

"Nice seeing you again Penny," Matt nodded at Penny, who smiled in greeting. Then he rounded on his big sister, "What were you _thinking_, skipping town like that? Ada was furious! Mamma and Papa were worried sick! And the doctor didn't even give you clearance to leave."

"I'll apologise to Ada when she visits," Ella replied stiffly, "And it's because of Mamma that I left! Can you even _imagine_ the things she would say to me if she took care of me at home? She'll say things like..." She switched to Italian and mimicked their mother, "{Oh, darling, look at the bright side! Now you don't have to worry about a job where you might die young and unmarried!}"

"What?" Penny asked. Matt translated for her and she raised an eyebrow, "Wow, I knew Mamma Luca had little to no concept of tact, but this is ridiculous!"

Matt redirected his attention to Ella, "And _you_!"

"I think I'll go and see if the Pontypandy boys are here yet," Penny said and hastily walked out, sensing that there was going to be a mini family argument.

"...You never even told me that you left! Was I supposed to just..._know_ that you were going to run away and leave us all in a lurch?!" Matt's voice was now getting angry.

Ella's voice quavered as she replied, "Matt, think about what would've happened if I told you. Mamma may not always succeed in having her way, but she eventually does. She would've gotten you to tell her my whereabouts if I had told you. And in a way, it's good that you moved to Newtown. You're your own man now.

"I'm sorry Matt. You too Angie, especially since you were the only one who knew where I had gone." "You knew?!" Matt rounded on Angie, who gazed steadily at him, "Yes, I did. And all the better for it. I helped her get discharged. I drove her to the airport and not even Mamma Luca knew a thing."

"You...you don't even trust your own brother?" Matt said, looking hurt. Ella put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "_Fratello_, I love you very much and I do trust you. I definitely would have told you that I would high-tail it to Italy. I just didn't have time. Everything was done at the last minute. Even Auntie Bella didn't know that I was coming to Roma to live with her until I called her after I landed."

A few seconds of silence later, Matt took Ella's hand in one of his own and sighed. Ella then changed the subject, "Angie, how is Joey?"

"Oh...well, he's quite a big boy now. He's very good at soccer. He has nightmares from time to time though, so he's seeing a therapist who said that gaining closure one day might put a stop to that."

"_Sorella_...you were very brave that day," Matt said, his anger subsiding, "Brave, but very careless." "_Si_, I know," Ella said and gave him a hug. He returned the hug a little too tightly and was rewarded with an instant "Ow, my chest."

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically, "Here, lemme help ya. Angie, can you fluff that pillow?" Together, they got Ella into a comfortable sitting position with her back against a pillow.

"More visitors," Penny smiled from the doorway and ushered in Sam, Elvis, Station Officer Steele, Chief Fire Officer Boyce and two other firefighters that Ella and company immediately recognised.

One firefighter was a dark-skinned young man with black hair and a wide smile. The other was a tall woman of about Steele's age, with an austere elegant face, piercing green eyes and short choppy auburn hair slightly tinged with white. Ella noticed with a little amusement that Station Officer Steele was gazing at this remarkable lady firefighter like a lovestruck teenager.

Their names were Fireman Ravi Karia and Station Officer Ada Delaney of the Tonypridd Fire Brigade.

Matt and Angie got up to salute Ada, but she shook her head with a slight smile and gestured for them to sit back down. Ella looked oddly at Angie, then remembered that Angie had applied to be an Auxiliary Firefighter at Tonypridd before she left.

"Hi Ella," Ravi smiled sadly at Ella, "How are you doing?" "Still getting there, Ravi, still getting there," Ella nodded.

Ella then saluted both Ada and Chief Fire Officer Boyce and greeted them, "Ada. Sir."

"Firefighter Luca, you truly are a sight for sore eyes!" Chief Fire Officer Boyce came up to her and shook her hand. "That's _ex_-Firefighter Luca to you, Sir," she smiled sadly. "Ah, yes, well anyway...Station Officer Delaney..." He stepped aside to let Ada sit at the foot of Ella's bed.

"Ada..." Ella began, but Ada's soft, authoritative voice cut her off mid-sentence, "Are you alright?"

Ella stared at her former superior officer as though she had grown an extra head. "You're...you're not angry with me for leaving?"

"I was, yes. Even though you overlooked protocol that night, you put your own life on the line for the right reasons. But you disappointed me by putting young Joey, as well as yourself, at risk," Ada explained. Ella blushed with shame. Ada continued, "And I am also very disappointed that you didn't confide in me about how upset you were for the whole day before the rescue."

"I'm so sorry, Ada, really. I didn't mean to put Joey at risk. All I wanted was to rescue him," Ella hung her head. "And I didn't think you'd notice how terrible I was feeling that day either." "Can't hide anything from Ada, Ella," Matt nodded. "Aaaand she forced me to spit it out afterwards too."

"What are you on about?" Penny asked. Then a deafening shriek filled the air.

"ISABELLA PIA DI LUCA!"

Sam and Elvis, who were standing closer to the door, were then pushed away roughly by a petite, plump middle-aged woman, followed by a thin man of the same age, who looked like an older version of Matt. Penny realised that on closer inspection, the woman looked like a blonde-and-white-haired, fiery-tempered version of Bella Lasagna; Papa and Mamma Luca had found their missing daughter at last.

"_Ciao_, Mamma, Papa," Ella deadpanned. She and her entire family were used to her mother's over-the-top displays of emotion.

"_Ciao_, Penny," Benita di Luca smiled at her daughter's best friend. Then she turned to Ella.

"{How could you DO this to us!}" she hollered in Italian, "{You do not even call us or email us or come home! Going away without even a postcard just to stay with that good-for-nothing banshee who calls herself your Aunt!}"

"{See, Papa, this is EXACTLY why I left! Just look at the way she talks about Auntie Bella!}" Ella's nostrils flared in anger. Nobody disses her long-lost Aunt like that, not even her parents.

A shouting match conducted entirely in Italian erupted between mother and daughter, which nobody but Matt and Papa Luca, called Marco by anyone who is not his children, understood. The native Welsh-and-English speakers stood around uncomfortably, not knowing what to do, until Marco decided to introduce himself to the Pontypandy firefighters and good-naturedly greeted Penny, "I've always thought of you as my other daughter with good reason!"

"Was it always like this at home?" Sam whispered. Marco sighed, "_Si_, _si_, my wife and daughter are very fiery towards each other. They can be too much alike at times and it can be quite destructive. But when all is said and done, blood is thicker than water and they know it."

"Wooow," Elvis replied quietly. "This has been waiting to happen though," Matt joined the conversation with an arm around his father's shoulders, "On the day my sister got injured, Papa delivered a letter that came from our long-lost Auntie Bella. We didn't even know Mamma had a sister until that day and only she knew why we'd never heard of her till then. We were all excited and wanted to meet her, especially since she wanted to go to Italy to take care of our terminally-ill grandmother. But Mamma still resented her, because of the past and opposed it. A fight like this happened and Papa wasn't there to see it."

"But I did hear everything from the garden," Marco replied sadly. "I took Ella's side, of course," Matt said, "But then Mamma made it a little too personal and Ella ended up stomping off to work in a terrible mood. She was upset for the whole day and I think it affected her performance at work."

Suddenly the room went silent. Sam and Elvis looked at the scene before them, then looked at each other in confusion. Marco and Matt turned around and what they saw made them roll their eyes and smile.

Benita and Ella were hugging and tearfully whispering in Italian to each other.

Penny smiled, "Just as well." Then she added to Sam and Elvis, "Oh, by the way, I just remembered. Mamma Luca almost always talks in Italian, but she can actually speak and understand English pretty well. So if she ever decides to talk to you, just talk back to her in English."

"But why does she talk in Italian all the time?" asked Elvis. "My beloved is afraid that if she talks too much English in an English-speaking country, she will lose her grasp on the Italian language forever," Marco smiled.

"{And yes, the Cafe is a success}," Ella said to Benita, "{You should come over to Pontypandy one day and see me in action!}"

"{And I guess I was wrong about my sister after all}," Mamma Luca sighed, "{Maybe I should send her a letter and see if we can mend our relationship.}"

Ella smiled, "{Oh, Mamma, now you're talking. It is NEVER too late for anything.}"

"{Quite right, darling}," her mother replied with a mischievous grin. Then she got off her daughter's bed and sidled up to Sam.

"Uhhh..." Ella opened her mouth, then shut it immediately. Mamma Luca took Sam's arm, looked at him and purred something in Italian. Yes, _purred_.

"W-what?" Sam asked and looked at Ella, but the slight blush on his face indicated that he seemed to understand to some extent what Benita was on about. Ella's face immediately screwed up in disgust and outrage. "_Papa_!" she complained.

Her father laughed nervously, "Anyway, I think we had better be leaving. We'll come and see you tomorrow, _bambina_." He kissed his daughter on the forehead, then secretly pressed something into her hand and whispered, "This might come in handy the next time you decide to go to Italy alone."

"{You think about it, eh, my girl?}," Mamma Luca asked as her husband took her hand, "{Now that you have your own Cafe, maybe you might finally be able to find a husband!}"

"Mamma, I don't want to," Ella retorted in English, "I've told you a million times, I've got better things to do!"

"*sigh*{Very well, but don't come crying to me if you have another life-threatening accident and you are unable to give me grandchildren! You MUST at least make this dream come true for me, I mean all of us!}"

Now Ella was truly annoyed. And she had one word with which to express it. "_Magari_."

Her mother's face went purple with anger and, to everyone's surprise but her family's and Penny's, she started ranting in English, "UGH! Children these days have NO respect for their elders! Why do they never do as they're told, Marco, why..." Her loud voice died away as her husband escorted her out of the ward.

"...And she always speaks in English whenever she doesn't get to have her way," Penny chimed in. Sam and Elvis nodded.

"Well, I think Ravi, Angela and I better be on our way as well," said Ada, her voice clear and soft, "The station can only be left alone for so long. It was nice seeing you again, Matteo." She patted Matt's shoulder and as she walked out, Steele smiled warmly at her, "Pleasure to meet you, dear la...Station Officer Delaney."

"The pleasure is all mine, Station Officer Steele. And good day," to the surprise of the Luca siblings and the firefighters, she smiled back at him.

"Well, um," Sam replied, "This has all been very interesting, but we must get going now. Emergencies wait for no one! Get well soon, Ella!" He waved at her.

Ella's smile slowly faded as she waved at him and watched him leave. Reality sunk in for her yet again.

Then she looked down at the thing her father had given her. It was a 100 Euro banknote.

* * *

After two days in hospital, Dr Atkins declared that Ella's body was completely free of painkillers. She also told Ella to never take painkillers again, because she should have stopped taking them over three weeks after the accident. What she didn't know, however, was to explain why Ella's leg hurt throughout the years.

"This might not be a physical thing," explained Dr Atkins, "It might have something to do with your feelings on being injured. You may need counselling for that, I'm sure."

As Ella did not wish to visit Tonypridd in a hurry, Penny arranged for her to stay at her cottage, while the Pontypandy community helped repair her kitchen, which would take over a week and a half.

Ella enjoyed this, as it meant that she got to re-establish her friendship with Penny. But it did have its drawbacks, though she did her best to hide her disappointment.

For instance, the day before the last day of kitchen repairs, Penny took the rest of the day off and was dropped at home by Sam on his way to bring in a new set of tyres for the rescue vehicles. Before he went on his way, Penny invited him for a cuppa with her and Ella, but he declined.

"Oh please!" Ella pleaded, mostly for Penny's sake, "Are you sure you don't want some tea?"

"Thank you, but I will be alright!" Sam smiled, "It's only a pretty short trip. Say, how are you doing now?"

"Much better, thanks," Ella replied, with a fake smile, "I will be able to move back into Auntie's, that is to say, _my_ Cafe very soon and work again, so I'm glad about that."

"*CHK* Station Officer Steele to Jupiter! Sam, do you read me?" Steele's voice came from the radio. "*CHK* Loud and clear, sir, what is it?" Sam replied.

Ella sighed. An emergency.

Of course.

"Looks like the tyres will have to wait, girls, it seems that the Pontypandy Pioneers need to rescue Trevor from a pretty high spot again! See you later!"

"Good luck Sam! Don't forget to call Tom for backup!" Penny called out and waved as he sped off.

Ella was silent. Her friend looked at her. "You look upset, Luca. Something wrong?"

"Nothing, Morris," Ella lied. "Well, I think I may have a headache."

"Let's go inside then," Penny said warmly and walked into the cottage.

Ella stared at the road for a few seconds before following Penny.

_I'll never be a firefighter again_, she thought sullenly. _I'll never be able to give someone hope during their hour of despair again._

__Unlike __him__, _I'll never get to be the hero next door of my town ever.  
_

_Unlike _Fireman Sam_._

**Not quite The End. But a Good Place to Leave It Thus.**

**And there we have it! The story of why Bella left and how a solution of how to bring Bella's Cafe back into the show was made! To be honest, this fic was written when Season 9 came out, so Ella's arrival was set before Heroes of the Storm and the new Season which aired today. I do hope one day that Bella does come back to Pontypandy though. I really do. Maybe they might introduce a new character or reintroduce Bella, since I found out that one of Season 10's episodes is called "Pizza Pandemonium."  
**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and, oh my gosh, this is the longest chapter I've ever written!**

**PS. Fireman Ravi Karia is an older version of Ravi Karia from a show called _Joshua Jones_, which was created by Fireman Sam's creators. And no, I don't own him.**


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